HBO to make hit shows free during coronavirus social distancing, but not for long

HBO is the latest media company to offer free content while people are encouraged to stay at home and self-isolate in the wake of coronavirus.

Starting April 3, nearly 500 hours of programming will be available for free on HBO Now and HBO Go as part of the cable network’s #StayHomeBoxOffice campaign.

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"The list of free programming includes every episode of nine iconic HBO series such as 'The Sopranos,' 'Veep,' 'Six Feet Under' and 'The Wire'; major Warner Bros. blockbusters from HBO's current catalog like 'Pokémon Detective Pikachu,' 'The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" and 'Crazy, Stupid, Love'; and 10 riveting HBO documentaries and docu-series including 'McMillion$' and 'The Case Against Adnan Syed,'" according to an HBO news release.

The series and movies will be available for a limited time without a subscription on the HBO Now and HBO Go apps. Consumers can also go to HBONOW.com or HBOGO.com. 

Other similar offers come from SiriusXM, which is offering free access to all content through May 15, and SXSW, which joined Amazon to offer movies from the festival for free to anyone with an Amazon account.

The full list of free content from HBO is below:

Full Series

• "Ballers"
• "Barry"
• "Silicon Valley"
• "Six Feet Under"
• "The Sopranos"
• "Succession"
• "True Blood"
• "Veep"
• "The Wire"

10 Docuseries and Documentaries

• "The Apollo"
• "The Case Against Adnan Syed"
• "Elvis Presley: The Searcher"
• "I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter"
• "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley"
• "Jane Fonda in Five Acts"
• "McMillion$"
• "True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight for Equality"
• "United Skates"
• "We Are the Dream: The Kids of the MLK Oakland Oratorical Fest"