Memorial Day Streaming Deals 2026: Lock In These Prices Before May 25
TL;DR: AMC+ is $29.99/year (normally $109.99) through May 25. YouTube TV drops to $67.99/month for five months. Crunchyroll, Hallmark+, Starz, and six other services are slashing prices through late May and June. Indian subscribers can access Crunchyroll and AMC+ via Prime Video add-ons.
If you've been sitting on the fence about committing to a streaming service, this is the weekend to decide. A collision of Memorial Day and National Streaming Day (May 20) has pushed nearly every mid-tier streaming platform into aggressive discounting — we're talking 50% to 75% off standard pricing, with some deals closing as soon as May 25. This isn't a slow rollout. These windows are tight.
Here's what actually matters: AMC+ is selling a full year for $29.99. That's $80 off. YouTube TV is $15 cheaper per month for the first five months. Crunchyroll's dropping to $1.99/month. If you're on the fence, you've got maybe three weeks to act.
The Deals That Actually Save You Money (May–June 2026)
Let me break down what's live right now:
AMC+ — $29.99/year (expires May 25)
- Normal price: $109.99/year
- Covers: The Walking Dead franchise, Mad Men, Shudder's entire horror library, BBC America shows, Sundance Now originals
- Available as a Prime Video add-on
- Ad-free
YouTube TV — $67.99/month for 5 months (expires June 30, new customers only)
- Normal price: $82.99/month
- Includes 100+ live channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, Bravo, CNN), unlimited cloud DVR
- 21-day free trial available before you commit
Crunchyroll Fan — $1.99/month for 3 months (normally $9.99/month)
Crunchyroll Mega Fan — $2.99/month for 3 months (normally $13.99/month, includes Game Vault and 4-device streaming)
Hallmark+ — $3 for 3 months (normally $7.99/month)
Frndly TV Premium — $1/month for 2 months (normally $12.99/month)
Starz — $5/month for 3 months (normally $10.99/month)
Fubo — Up to $30 off first month, plus a 7-day free trial
DirecTV Choice — $84.99/month for 3 months ($10/month off)
ESPN/Fox One Bundle — $39.99/month (normally $49.98 if bought separately, covers 47,000+ live events annually)
The AMC+ deal is the standout here. Seventy percent off, and you're getting four separate content libraries. No-brainer territory.
Why AMC+ Is the Deal of the Month
Let's talk about the real math. Shudder alone costs $72/year at standard pricing. AMC+ includes Shudder plus Mad Men (which won 16 Primetime Emmys across its run, including Outstanding Drama Series four consecutive years from 2008 to 2011), the entire Walking Dead cinematic universe, and British prestige content from BBC America. For $29.99 total, this is objectively hard to beat.
What's interesting is that AMC Networks clearly designed this price point to be "unmissable" — their actual word in promotional materials. They're not trying to compete on service breadth with Netflix. They're competing on the quality of individual shows and the fact that horror fans, prestige-drama fans, and UK television fans all find something in here. The Shudder integration is doing most of the heavy lifting (I keep coming back to this because the horror library alone justifies the annual commitment for fans of that genre).
The real story the trade coverage misses: AMC Networks posted a 14% year-over-year decline in linear ad revenue in Q1 2026, which means these aren't feel-good promotional discounts — they're subscriber acquisition plays designed to shore up DTC numbers before the next earnings call. Read the $29.99 price point as a survival strategy dressed up as a holiday sale.
The deadline matters. May 25 is a hard cutoff. After that, you're back to the full $109.99 annual price or the $11.99/month subscription tier.
How This Works for Indian Subscribers
This is where it gets practical. Most US-focused streaming deals don't apply outside North America, but the Prime Video add-on system changes that equation for India.
Crunchyroll via Prime Video — The $1.99/month deal is directly accessible if you're subscribed to Amazon Prime in India. Anime viewership in India has grown steadily (Crunchyroll reports consistent double-digit subscriber growth across South and Southeast Asia), and $1.99/month for three months is genuinely competitive against what Indian streaming services charge for anime libraries. After the promotional window ends, you'll revert to standard pricing, but locking in three months at this rate is worth doing.
AMC+ via Prime Video — Similarly accessible for Indian subscribers. Content library varies by region, but shows like Mad Men and The Walking Dead have dedicated Indian audiences. The annual price converts to roughly ₹2,500, which sits well below most Indian streaming services' yearly rates.
The catch: YouTube TV, DirecTV, Fubo, and Frndly TV are US-only by design. Their live-TV channel bundles run on US broadcast licenses. No workaround makes those accessible from India.
To track which deals are actually live in your specific region right now, Movie OTT's where-to-watch tracker updates in real time as regional availability shifts during promotional windows. Availability can change week to week during these periods.
The Sleeper Deals Nobody Talks About
Here's the thing nobody mentions: Starz at $5/month for three months is quietly the best value for movie fans this weekend. The platform is the home for the Ballerina franchise, and the theatrical release has generated real momentum. Locking in three months at $5 to catch a major action film's streaming debut the same weekend it's getting press is exactly the kind of strategic timing that makes holiday deals worth paying attention to.
The ESPN/Fox One bundle at $39.99/month is equally underrated. Purchased separately, ESPN Unlimited costs $29.99 and Fox One costs $19.99 — that's $49.98. The bundle saves you $120 a year and creates a de facto sports package covering college football, the NFL, soccer, and news. With the NFL schedule release dropping in mid-May and the College Football Playoff expanding to 14 teams this season (meaning roughly 50% more nationally televised postseason games than two years ago), locking in this bundle before Week 1 pricing pressure kicks in is the kind of move that pays off by September. Hard to say if casual viewers will care about "47,000 live events annually," but for households that actually watch sports, this is the most practical deal in the entire batch.
When These Windows Close (and Why It Matters)
Most promotional windows close by late May or end of June. AMC+ closes May 25 — that's the tightest deadline. YouTube TV's promotion runs through June 30 but is new-customer-only, so existing subscribers can't upgrade. Crunchyroll and Hallmark+ haven't announced hard end dates, which typically means they run until new subscriber slots at the promotional rate fill up.
What to watch for: whether Netflix, Disney+, or Max enter the National Streaming Day cycle with their own offers. Historically, the biggest platforms avoid deep discounting — they compete on content, not price. But the mid-tier and live-TV services clearly see Memorial Day weekend as their best acquisition opportunity of the first half of 2026.
The Editorial Take: What's Worth Your Money
The AMC+ deal is the no-brainer. Seventy percent off, four content libraries, available via Prime Video so you don't need another app, and it closes May 25. If you're even mildly curious about prestige drama, horror, or British television, the math makes waiting a bad idea.
For Indian subscribers specifically, Crunchyroll at $1.99/month for three months is the runner-up. Anime streaming in India has grown too large to treat as niche, and this price point beats regional alternatives.
Don't wait on the AMC+ deal. May 25 is close — and honestly, once the window closes, you're paying full price for the next several months.
Check Movie OTT for the latest pricing updates and regional availability as these promotions shift. They track deal windows across regions in real time, which matters when you're trying to figure out what's actually accessible where you are.
