Xfinity Announces Watchathon Week Lineup Including Free Streaming of ‘Stranger Things,’ Yellowstone,’ & ‘The Boys’
Not only is it the first week of May, but Tuesday, May 3 also marks the beginning of another exciting period, Xfinity’s 10th annual Watchathon Week. The annual event allows Xfinity customers on X1, Flex, and Stream free plans to watch thousands of movies and TV episodes from dozens of networks and streaming services for free through May 9. This year, programming will be available from HBO Max, Netflix, Prime Video, STARZ, Showtime, EPIX, Peacock, AMC+, and more.
Some of the most buzzed-about shows on TV will be available for free, including “Stranger Things,” “The Boys,” “Yellowstone,” “Girls5Eva,” “The First Lady,” “Outlander,” “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” and more.
New this year, following the launch of Xfinity Rewards, the loyalty service’s members can extend their Watchathon experience with a free download of “Top Gun” through May 24, and try out new subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services including Stingray Karaoke, Lifetime Movie Club, History Vault, Kidstream, DOG TV, and UP Faith & Family through the end of the month.
“Watchathon Week continues to be extremely popular amongst our customers with almost a billion hours of content being consumed during the event over the last ten years,” said Comcast’s Senior Vice President of Growth Operations Jason Wicht. “Now, with the launch of Xfinity Rewards this year, we’re able to double down on providing our customers access to even more free content, alongside other great perks like $1 Movies, Discounts to Universal Parks and Resorts, Xfinity Mobile benefits, access to the latest Comcast technologies, and once-in-a-lifetime entertainment experience. It’s an exciting way for us to continue saying thank you, just for being a customer.”
2022 Xfinity Watchathon Week Lineup
Netflix will make the first two seasons of its hit “Stranger Things” during Watchaton, just in time to get excited for the fourth season premiering on the streamer May 27.
Stranger Things
When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.
The first season of “Girls5Eva” will be available from Peacock ahead of the Season 2 premiere on May 5, and all four seasons of “Yellowstone,” the biggest show on cable, will be available to binge as well.
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Yellowstone
June 20, 2018Follow the violent world of the Dutton family, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. Led by their patriarch John Dutton, the family defends their property against constant attack by land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first National Park.
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Girls5eva
May 6, 2021When a one-hit-wonder girl group from the ’90s gets sampled by a young rapper, its members reunite to give their pop star dreams one more shot. They may be grown women balancing spouses, kids, jobs, debt, aging parents and shoulder pain, but can’t they also be Girls5Eva?
The first season of select Prime Video Originals, including “The Boys,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Wilds,” “Bosch,” and “Harlem,” will also be available for Watchathon viewers.
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The Boys
July 25, 2019A group of vigilantes known informally as “The Boys” set out to take down corrupt superheroes with no more than blue-collar grit and a willingness to fight dirty.
This show is NOT for kids, thanks to the profanity, gore, and sexual content. But it is an antidote for adult fans who might be a little bored with the stereotypical superhero fare. It’s funny, dramatic, exciting, and thought-provoking.
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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
March 16, 2017It’s 1958 Manhattan and Miriam “Midge” Maisel has everything she’s ever wanted - the perfect husband, kids, and Upper West Side apartment. But when her life suddenly takes a turn and Midge must start over, she discovers a previously unknown talent - one that will take her all the way from the comedy clubs of Greenwich Village to a spot on Johnny Carson’s couch.
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The Wilds
December 11, 2020A group of teen girls from different backgrounds must fight for survival after a plane crash strands them on a deserted island. The castaways both clash and bond as they learn more about each other, the secrets they keep, and the traumas they’ve all endured. But there’s just one twist… these girls did not end up on this island by accident.
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Bosch
January 14, 2015Based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling novels, these are the stories of relentless LAPD homicide Detective Harry Bosch who pursues justice at all costs. But behind his tireless momentum is a man who is haunted by his past and struggles to remain loyal to his personal code: “Everybody counts or nobody counts.”
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Harlem
December 2, 2021Four stylish and ambitious best girlfriends in Harlem, New York City: a rising star professor struggling to make space for her love life; a savvy tech entrepreneur always dating someone new; a no-filter singer; and a hopeless romantic fashion designer. Together, they level up into the next phase of their careers, relationships, and big city dreams.
Also included this year will be great content from the biggest premium brands in television. HBO Max, STARZ, Showtime, and EPIX will make their full on-demand library available throughout the week, giving customers access to top shows and content such as Showtime’s “The First Lady,” STARZ’s “Outlander” and “Gaslit,” HBO Max’s “Winning Time,” and EPIX’s “Godfather of Harlem,” among many others.
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The First Lady
April 17, 2022A revelatory reframing of American leadership through the lens of the First Ladies. Exploring everything from their journeys to Washington, family life, and world-changing political contributions, the impact of the White House’s women is no longer hidden from view.
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Outlander
August 9, 2014The story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
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Gaslit
April 24, 2022A modern take on the 1970s political Watergate scandal centering on untold stories and forgotten characters of the time.
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Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty
March 6, 2022A fast-break series chronicling the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined an era, both on and off the court.
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Godfather of Harlem
September 29, 2019Loosely based on infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy attempts to regain his piece of Harlem.
AMC+ will also have the first season of select originals available including “A Discovery of Witches,” “Creepshow,” “Gangs of London,” and more. AMC will also be bringing Watchathon to its XUMO channels for the first time, offering three days of free access to some of its most popular shows including a 24-hour marathon of “The Walking Dead” season 11a on May 8.
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The Walking Dead
October 31, 2010Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.
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A Discovery of Witches
September 14, 2018Closet witch Diana Bishop and centuries-old vampire Matthew Clairmont are drawn into a deadly mystery and forbidden romance when a magical book shows up in an Oxford library.
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Creepshow
September 26, 2019A young boy’s horror comic book comes to life in this anthology series of terrifying tales.
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Gangs of London
April 23, 2020When the head of a criminal organisation, Finn Wallace is assassinated, the sudden power vacuum his death creates threatens the fragile peace between the intricate web of gangs operating on the streets of the city. Now it’s up to the grieving, volatile and impulsive Sean Wallace to restore control and find those responsible for killing his father.
Also available during Watchathon Week 2022 will be thousands of hours of multicultural content with complete access to subscription services such as Qwest TV, Kocowa, Here TV, Brown Sugar, Pantaya, and others.
Viewers will also be able to sample the full catalogs of some of the most popular niche subscription services such as Acorn TV, History Vault, Lifetime Movie Club, Hallmark Movies Now, DOGTV, and Kidstream.