The New York Times Co. today announced that it will offer new digital subscribers a free Google Home device when they sign up for a new account in the All Access tier or higher. It’s similar to promotions the company has offered over the past few months, including a free year of Spotify Premium and a four-month subscription to Scribd.
An All Access account starts at $16.99 a month, which includes access to other interactive tools like NYT Crosswords and Cooking recipe archives. The $16.99 / month is only offered on the first 12 months of subscription, with the price bumping up to $26.99 a month after. The company is only offering a free Google Home to subscribers in the United States.
The announcement arrives on the same day Google is expected to announce updates to its Google Home device, but it looks like the deal with the New York Times will give subscribers the original Google Home. The offer is valid until the end of the year. The built-in Google Assistant currently offers a news briefing feature that will read the day’s news and headlines from media sources like the BBC, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and of course, NYT. The promotion today appears to push Times podcast like “The Daily” or “Still Processing,” which are supported by the smart speaker.
Update October 4th 10:35PM ET: NYT has pulled the Google Home offer after customers realized they could get an offer code then cancel the subscription. It later forced readers to commit to a full year subscription to qualify for the deal. So either supply was very limited, or the rollout didn’t work as planned. If you missed out, here are a few other Google Homes to check out today.