It’s not unusual for big brands to run their own FAST (free ad-supported TV) services. Samsung has Samsung TV Plus, Paramount has Pluto TV, Fox has Tubi, Roku has The Roku Channel, and Amazon — which once had Freevee — has since folded its free content into a dedicated section on Prime Video.
What is unusual, though, is a major PC brand quietly launching a FAST service of its own, seemingly out of nowhere and with little fanfare. That company? HP. Yes — the same HP best known for its printers and PCs.
HP has recently launched a free streaming service called HP TV+, and the interesting twist is that it’s built for PCs, not TVs. Which kind of makes sense, considering how many Windows laptops and desktops HP ships each year, and that HP doesn’t sell TVs, only monitors.
HP TV+ comes preloaded on new HP laptops and desktops released this year, but you don’t actually need an HP device to try it. You can download it for free from the Windows Store, and HP emphasizes that the service is completely free, with “no trials that expire, no surprise charges.” That said, there are a couple of catches: the service is currently limited to the US and only available on Windows PCs. So if you’re on a Mac, you’re out of luck for now.
- Developer
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HP
- Subscription cost
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Free
- Ads
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Yes
What can you watch on HP TV+?
It has its own live guide filled with free channels
Like other free streaming services, HP TV+ offers a wide range of channels presented in a familiar live guide format that you can scroll through to find something to watch.
Some of the channels HP highlights include USA Today, PBS Nature, America’s Test Kitchen, Tennis Channel 2, Comedy Plus, and Total Crime. There’s a mix of genres here too, spanning game shows, crime and mystery series, sitcoms, reality TV, and documentaries.
HP TV+ also includes free movies, covering everything from action and comedy to drama, horror, and sci-fi.
For sports fans, the service features content like tennis, motorsports, auto racing, wrestling, poker, pickleball, darts, and even bowling.
“Watch what you want, when you want with HP TV+, your personal entertainment hub. Stream free TV across every genre — news, blockbuster movies, crime thrillers, sports, lifestyle content, and more,” HP says. “Built for your PC, let it play in the background while you work, browse, or game, or switch to focused watching whenever you want. HP TV+ delivers non-stop entertainment that adapts to your day.”
What stands out is how much HP leans into the idea that this is built for PCs, even encouraging you to let it run in the background during your workday. Which, let’s face it, is likely a way it’s trying to drive in ad revenue.
While HP launching a FAST service might feel a bit out of left field, it starts to make more sense when you consider just how many HP PCs are out there in the U.S. The company seems to be taking a page out of Samsung’s playbook by baking a free TV app directly into its devices, similar to Samsung TV Plus.
That said, HP TV+ doesn’t appear to offer much in the way of truly unique channels. So if you can’t access it, you’re not missing anything you wouldn’t already find on services like Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, or Plex. Still, if you’ve got a Windows PC, and you’re curious, it’s available as a free download from the Microsoft Store.
