Known for their bright red kiosks at grocery and convenience stores, Redbox is a DVD and Blu-Ray rental service that's become one of the biggest movie rental companies around.
Recently, they've branched into online streaming with Redbox Free Live TV and Redbox On Demand.
Here's everything you need to know about both services.
Redbox Free Live TV and Redbox On Demand, explained
Redbox Free Live TV, which launched in February 2020, lets you stream some live television shows and programs. While you might find older favorites and syndicated shows, there's no big-name cable networks or broadcast news. It's available on smart TVs, streaming devices, smartphones, and computers.
Viewers have their pick between dozens of shows and channels. You can watch stand-alone series like Forensic Files or Divorce Court, which run episodes at varying times. Or, you can watch specific channels, like ConTV or BNC, which switch up their content throughout the day. However, because it's live TV, there's no ability to pause, rewind, or fast-forward, and there are commercials.
Redbox On Demand allows users to rent, buy, or stream movies for a few dollars per movie. This service is only available on a computer — the mobile app will only let you reserve a physical disk from a Redbox kiosk, or watch a movie that you've already rented.
On the Redbox mobile app, you also have the option to watch Free On Demand, which isn't available on a web browser. Unlike Redbox On Demand, which offers blockbuster movies for a rental fee, Free On Demand offers movies for free — though the selection doesn't include many big-name films, and commercials are included.
How to watch Redbox Free Live TV on a desktop
1. Go to redbox.com/stream-free-live-tv on your web browser of choice.
2. Click the "Play" button on any of their offerings to begin watching Live TV.
How to watch Redbox On Demand on a desktop
1. Go to the Redbox On Demand website on your web browser of choice.
2. The On Demand home page displays Redbox's featured movies by category, such as "Theatrical Home Release,""Trending Now," and "New Movies to Rent." To browse for movies by genre, hover your cursoe over the "On Demand" tab at the top of the screen — in the dropdown menu, select "Genres." Here you can browse by traditional categories like action, comedy, and documentary.
3. Once you find a movie you want to rent, click on it. On the movie's About page, you can click "Rent At The Kiosk" to reserve a phycial copy to pick up at a nearby Redbox kiosk location. To rent a movie digitally, click "Rent On Demand." To purchase a digital movie to keep, click "Buy on Demand."
How to watch Redbox Free Live TV or Free On Demand on the mobile app
1. Download the Redbox app from the Apple App Store for iOS or Google Play Store for Android.
2. Open the app, then tap "Watch Free" in the bottom right corner.
3. At the top, you can toggle between two tabs: "Free Live TV" and "Free On Demand." Tap the "Play" button on any of their offerings to begin watching.
Related coverage from Tech Reference:
How to watch Peacock TV for free, including the first seasons of 'The Office'
What is Tubi? Everything you need to know about the free streaming service
How to cancel your Hulu free trial so you don't get charged for a paid subscription
How to watch YouTube movies for free on desktop or mobile, in the 'Free to watch' section of YouTube Movies
The best Roku channels you can add to watch free movies