Giving something away for nothing might not seem like the smartest business move. But free trials are now an essential part of many entertainment brands’ promotional strategies. From top movie streaming sites to some online gaming platforms, it has proven to be a successful tactic for attracting new customers and allowing them to sample the firm’s services.
But what are the best free trials for entertainment at the moment, and will this continue to be a viable business model for the leading entertainment brands? After all, Netflix famously dropped its free trials at the end of last year, so if you want to watch the new series of Medici, you’ll have to pay an up-front fee.
Free trials for gaming and communication
While movie and music streaming services are hugely popular, it’s hard to argue with the fact that younger generations are increasingly looking for free deals for video gaming. Recently we’ve seen Valve giving gamers the chance to play every Half-Life game for free. Also, Google has just announced that it will be putting on a two-month free trial of Google Stadia so that everyone can see what cloud gaming is all about.
This free-to-play trend that we’re seeing in the video games world is present in iGaming as well – as one of the top rising industries in the UK. Players can try some free spins out on some of the nation’s leading online casino sites, and have some fun without depositing real money.
We’re also seeing similar models employed by some non-gaming mobile apps. The rampant success of the Zoom meeting app might be down to the current global pandemic, but the fact that Zoom allows you to enjoy 40 more minutes for meetings can’t have hurt the roll-out of this hugely popular communication app.
Movie and television free trials
While the Netflix free trials might be a thing of the past, many movie and TV streaming brands continue to allow new customers to try their services free of charge. Amazon Prime is one of the key players in the industry who have found success with the strategy.
This company has a one-month trial by which customers can watch all of the site’s movies, TV shows and sports documentaries without having to spend any money. Plus with access to music streaming and one-day deliveries, it’s easy to see how this brand has become the world’s largest online marketplace.
It’s a strategy that’s been used by Now TV who offer seven-day free trials, and the recently launched Britbox offers new customers a generous 30 days to try out the service without spending a penny. Plus with even Disney+ now featuring a free trial option, it seems that there’s no limit to the amount of entertainment that you can get free of charge.
Free trials for music
Music was one of the first entertainment industries to feel the effects of the digital revolution. Interestingly, the advent of streamed technology has actually helped the industry, and much of this depends on the use of free trials for subscription services.
The Swedish brand Spotify was one of the first music streaming companies to put on a free trial to listen to unlimited music. The company still has this free trial in place which means that new customers can enjoy no-advert listening for free for the first 30 days.
We’ve already talked about how Amazon Prime offers a free trial for 30 days, but some streaming companies have free trials that last much longer. With both Apple Music and Deezer offering 90 days of unlimited music for free, it shows that the world’s leading entertainment brands are appearing to be more generous than ever.
