Cinemax is a cable subscription channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, that has been around since 1980.
It is available as a subscription video-on-demand service if you have a TV provider or an over-the-top service with digital TV providers like Amazon Prime Video and YouTubeTV.
Cinemax’s on demand service is only offered in the United States and some US territories but you can also access it with a VPN if you’re outside of this service area.
The service primarily streams it’s original action series as well as theatrically released movies both recent and old.
Unlike many of the other streamers, you can only access Cinemax through it’s website and apps if you have a subscription with a Cable TV provider such as Cox or Optimum. You cannot sign up directly through the website.
You may also sign up through services like Prime Video Channels and Apple TV and access Cinemax through those services apps.
A free trial of 7 days is available to try Cinemax but you’ll need to have a subscription or trial with the service you’re trying it with.
On this page, I’ll show you some of the best ways to stream content from Cinemax if you don’t have a cable TV subscription.
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How To Get a Cinemax Free Trial
Cinemax is widely available as a cable subscription channel from your cable TV provider. You can then get free on demand service through the Cinemax website or apps by logging in with your cable subscription credentials.
For cord-cutters, you can get Cinemax starting with a free 7-day trial by joining through an online TV service provider. Services like YouTubeTV, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu all require a separate subscription but also have free trials to get started.
The five most popular ways to get Cinemax are:
Adding Cinemax With Prime Video Channels
If you have a Prime Video account (which is included in Prime) from Amazon then this is probably the best way for you to try Cinemax.
Prime Video is Amazon’s streaming platform and besides the movies and TV shows they include with your subscription of Prime, they also host over 100 premium channels like MUBI, Paramount+ and MovieSphere, all available with a 7-day free trial.
Cinemax is one of those channels. If you don’t have a Prime Video account then you’ll need one to activate a Cinemax free trial this way. Prime Video offers a full 30-day free trial to get started.
Here’s how to do it.
- Go to the Cinemax channel page in Prime Video.
- Click on the “More details” button on the channel banner.
- On the next page, click on the “Start Your free trial” button.
- Confirm your payment details.
- Click on the “Start Your Free Trial” button to start watching.
Amazon will not charge you until after the 7 days has expired. You will get a reminder that your trial is ending 2 days before it ends.
You’ll also be able to cancel renewal and billing inside your Prime Video account if you decide not to keep it.
Adding Cinemax Free Trial with YouTube TV
YouTube TV offers live channels, on demand shows and movies as well as premium addon channels like Max, Cinemax and Showtime.
To add Cinemax and get the 7-day free trial, you must either have a subscription with YouTube TV or you can try this digital television provider for 14 days.
It’s easy to add Cinemax on sign up but if you’re already a subscriber, you can always visit your settings page inside your account and add the channel. The settings page is also where you can easily cancel your subscription if you don’t want to keep it beyond the 7-day trial period.
To see how YouTubeTV works and how to add premium channels like Cinemax, visit the YouTubeTV free trial page.
Get Cinemax Free Trial on The Roku Channel
If you’re streaming on a Roku TV then you can add Cinemax through The Roku Channel.
The Roku Channel does not require a separate subscription and you can add lots of premium channels, most of which come with a free trial.
Cinemax has a 7-day free trial which when completed, Roku will charge you the monthly subscription fee of $9.99.
Currently there is no standalone app for Cinemax on Roku so you’ll watch all of their content through The Roku Channel app.
To get started you’ll need to add The Roku Channel app on your television then get your Cinemax free trial.
In your desktop browser, you can go to the Cinemax channel page on The Roku Channel to begin.
- Click on the “Start your 7-day free trial” button.
- Add or confirm your payment details on the next page.
- Start watching Cinemax
You wouldn’t be charged until your free trial expires and you can cancel in your account settings at anytime to avoid getting charged. You will still be able to watch until the trial ends.
Adding Cinemax Free Trial with Hulu
Hulu is another popular option for adding premium channels like Cinemax.
If you choose this streaming provider, you get your first month free then the subscription starts from $7.99 for the ad-supported plan.
You can add Cinemax by signing up or logging into Hulu and going to the addons page to subscribe.
Visit the Hulu free trial page to find out more about Hulu’s 30-day free trial.
Cinemax Price After Free Trial
No matter where you decide to try Cinemax, you’ll need to provide your credit card details in order to start your trial. Your credit card details may already be on file with the service if you’re subscribed to them.
You wouldn’t be charged until after the trial is over and the pricing details are provided upfront before you start watching for free.
A subscription to Cinemax costs $9.99/month no matter where you subscribe. This monthly fee is charged when your 7-day free trial expires.
There isn’t an option to subscribe to Cinemax annually.
What’s On Cinemax?
Cinemax was originally mostly known for their late night “after dark” content which earned them the title “Skinemax”. In an effort to change that image for more mainstream acceptance, they’ve since stopped producing and airing softcore pornographic content.
Although their content library is mostly made up of Hollywood hits and classic movies, the biggest reason to join Cinemax is for their originally produced TV series.
Their shows, most of which have ended seasons, are mainly in the action genre. Many of the shows including Warrior, C.B. Strike, Banshee, Mike Judge’s Tales from the Tour Bus, Outcast, The Knick, Quarry, Jett and Trackers have all been moved to sister channel Max.
Cinemax do not produce any original movies. Their library of movies are mainly movies which have already been shown in theaters.
This includes movies that have been released in the past year at least 10 months after it’s theatrical debut and much older movies from the 70s, 80s and 90s for instance.
Some featured movies include the remake of Point Break, The Hitcher, The Invisible Man, Dracula Untold, Underwater and Body Brokers.
Get Your Cinemax Free Trial
There are a number of ways to get a Cinemax 7-day free trial if you don’t have cable TV.
Since Warner Bros. Discovery shut down Cinemax Go at the end of July 2022, you can stream through the Cinemax website. Cord-cutters will need to access Cinemax content through an online provider like Apple TV, Roku or Prime Video.
Where you get Cinemax will depend on your situation and your streaming needs. For example, if you’re already subscribed to Prime Video then it would make sense to add your free trial with Amazon.
You can try them all back to back and get up to at least 28 days of free Cinemax.
TrialBear recommends signing up for the Cinemax free trial via Prime Video channels.
