HBO Game of Thrones
Tonight is the first episode of Game of Thrones Season 8. But can you watch it on your favorite streaming services like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon? Here are the details.
You Can’t Watch Season 8 of ‘Game of Thrones’ on Netflix
Unfortunately, you can’t watch Season 8 of Game of Thrones on Netflix. In fact, you can’t even watch Season 8 on Netflix in other parts of the world outside the U.S. Game of Thrones‘ new season is only viewable on HBO or its affiliates around the world, along with certain streaming services that offer HBO add-on packages. But that does not include Netflix.
You can’t even watch any previous seasons of Game of Thrones on Netflix either. That’s because HBO has its own On Demand and streaming services, so there is no need to allow Game of Thrones to stream on Netflix. It’s doubtful that this will change any time soon.
You Can Watch Season 8 on Hulu with an Add-On
Now here’s some good news. You can watch Season 8 of Game of Thrones on Hulu, including live streaming episodes as they air. But you can only do this if you add HBO as an add-on to Hulu or Hulu with Live TV.
Once signed up, you can watch the show live as it airs, or you can watch it on-demand anytime after. With either option, you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 (on-demand only), Nintendo Switch, Echo Show or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
You Can Watch Season 8 on Amazon Prime with an Add-On
You can also watch Season 8 on Amazon Prime, but once again only if you have the add-on that includes HBO content. If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch live and on-demand HBO content through the HBO Amazon Channel, which also comes with a free 7-day trial.
Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the HBO channel, you can then watch the show either live as it airs or on-demand anytime after. With either option, you can watch on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
So there you have it. Out of the three major streaming services – Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Netflix – only Netflix won’t have any way for you to get Season 8 of Game of Thrones. But this is because Netflix is a standalone service that doesn’t offer “add-ons” for HBO or any other channel like Showtime or Cinemax. Typically shows that aren’t Netflix originals will end up airing later on Netflix after the season has completed on their original broadcast station. On The CW, for example, a new season of a show will be released on Netflix exactly one week after the season finale aired on CW. But producers like HBO with their own rival streaming service won’t be sending their shows over to Netflix. Luckily, Amazon Prime and Hulu are still options as long as you’re willing to pay for the HBO add-on. Or you can just stream through HBO NOW.