As the once-popular Netflix affiliate program fades into history, new opportunities arise in the world of streaming services.
With people increasingly looking for better-priced, high-quality alternatives, now’s the time to act. In this guide, we’ll explore 7 streaming alternatives, showcasing their unique offerings and pricing.
In this guide, we’ll reveal how to capitalize on their growth with affiliate marketing. Let’s go!
Netflix Affiliate Program
So much how does the Netflix affiliate program pay?
Nothing.
Netflix doesn’t have an affiliate program. They canceled it a few years ago.
Once they had enough customers they simply didn’t need affiliates like you and me sending them new ones.
So the Netflix affiliate program went bye-bye because word-of-mouth marketing took over.
Kinda like what Amazon did with its referral program.
The Netflix affiliate program did pay $10 for every new customer you referred.
They apparently once even had a CPL offer running that paid $25 per sale.
Those days are over with.
There’s even a rumor that Netflix might just revive their affiliate program.
But for right now, it’s deader than disco.
The good news is that there are Netflix affiliate program alternatives you can promote.
To the exact same audience.
So, here’s my list of the heavy-hitters in the battle to control the media streaming industry.
Netflix Affiliate Program Alternatives
1 Prime Video
So the first alternative to the Netflix affiliate program is Amazon’s Prime Video service.
Amazon Prime might feel “new” but it’s actually dished up movies, documentaries and lots more to Amazon customers since 2006.
Amazon is actually an OG when it comes to streaming services.
In terms of content, they have a lot going on.
You get lots of movies, TV shows, and documentaries but you also have Amazon Originals to watch.
Which are at least as good as Netflixs’ original shows.
What does Amazon Prime Video cost?
$12.99 per month or you get a big huge discounted price of $99 if you sign up for a year of Amazon Prime Video.
That might sound like a lot when compared to Netflix @ $8.99 per month.
But you get a ton of other perks with Amazon Prime like 2-day shipping, photo storage, millions of songs, and millions of books from the Kindle Library.
They also rank pretty high in terms of overall popularity.
Their affiliate marketing program is a little less exciting though.
The Amazon Prime affiliate program pays a whole $3 per sale, non-recurring for referring new customers to Amazon Prime Video through your links.
And it’s not out of the question for them to reduce or eliminate that commission payment without any real warning.
So that’s something to take into consideration.
- URL: Amazon Prime affiliate program
- Commission: $3 per sale
- Cookie: 24-hours
2 Hulu
Hulu has been around longer than most streaming services – since 2006 to be exact.
In terms of content, you get the usual programming of current and classic movies and TV shows, as well as Hulu originals.
But they don’t seem to have the same quantity or quality of either as say Amazon.
With that said, they have something for every taste from kid’s content to horror flicks.
One major point of leverage here is their pricing – just $5.99 per month…if you’re willing to put up with ads.
Otherwise, you’ll have to pay $11.99 per month for an ad-free experience.
And they also provide a free trial.
The link on the Hulu site to sign up for their affiliate program is broken.
But you can find them on the Rakuten Marketing affiliate network instead.
In terms of how much you can earn, this program pays a flat $2 commission per sale.
- URL: Hulu affiliate program
- Commission: $2 per sale
- Cookie: 14 days
3 Disney+
Disney has long wanted to carve out its own corner of the media streaming niche.
Their acquisition of the Star Wars franchise was an obvious step towards that, as was getting their hands on the Marvel universe.
So what Disney+ offers your visitors is something that others can’t.
This company has exclusive rights to not only Star Wars and the Marvel franchise but the entire Disney back catalog of movies and television shows – from Sleeping Beauty to the Muppets.
And that single subscription can be used across 10 devices.
But the fact that Disney+ is such a specialized service is also kind of its Achilles Heel.
Sure they have great shows but you’re not going to find that random Nicolas Cage movie you love.
Their affiliate program is also a tiny bit confusing.
It’s apparently managed by Impact…but the signup page claims a $0 commission rate.
While other sources claim that Disney+ actually pays $11 per referral through your affiliate links.
So we’ll update this roundup once we get more information on how much they actually pay the people promoting their products.
- URL: Disney+ affiliate program
- Commission: TBC
- Cookie: TBC
4 CBS All Access
CBS All Access is a relative latecomer to the online/TV streaming service market.
Which is weird considering this company has been in the TV services game since 1952.
But they’re also one of the more rounded OTT (Over-the-top) media services your visitors can sign up for.
They offer lots of hit shows and movies, but they also cater to live sports fans as well as people who just can’t get enough of reality television series.
And then there’s tons of content for kids thanks to Nickelodeon.
So their platform literally has something for the entire family.
Every video-on-demand service though needs its own USP (unique selling proposition).
Or they seem to.
And in the case of CBS, it’s the fact they own the rights to produce Star Trek television series.
So CBS All Access is a network aimed at capturing the Trekkie audience, which they’ve attempted to do with a number of Star Trek shows.
But you can’t please all the people all the time.
Thankfully they’re really clear about how their affiliate program operates.
Affiliates can earn $9 for every new customer they refer.
Which is $9 more than the Netflix affiliate program pays.
- URL: CBS All Access affiliate program
- Commission: $9 per sale
- Cookie: 10 days
5 Dish Network
Here’s one of the more interesting alternatives to Netflix.
Remember when satellite TV was considered the cutting edge of entertainment?
And then the Internet came along and ruined it all.
Well not quite, because satellite TV providers are still a thing – the Dish Network being a perfect example of this.
So…why would your visitors want to sign up for a satellite TV service instead of Netflix?
Because they also provide OTT video streaming as well as satellite TV packages.
The hidden benefit here people is reliability.
Your movie services stay up even if the Internet goes down.
Something that can’t be said of Netflix or any other service that relies 100% on Internet access.
“Satellite” used to equal “expensive”, but Dish can get your visitors hooked up for as little as $15 per month.
But what’s in it for affiliate marketers who need an alternative to the Netflix affiliate program?
How about $100 per sale, paid by a company that’s been in business since 1980.
None of the other affiliate programs here come close to that kind of payout.
- URL: Dish Network affiliate program
- Commission: $100 per sale
- Cookie: 30 days
6 Sling TV
What if you could get all the benefits of cable TV but without any of the contractual obligations?
Or the ridiculously high monthly charges.
Those are questions answered by Sling, an award-winning streaming service.
The whole aim of cord-cutters is to reduce their monthly outgoings.
So Sling TV created a service that combines 30+ channels of the best cable offerings and then combined that with 80,000 on-demand movies and shows, plus a 50-hour DVR.
And all for $35…or exactly what most cord-cutters are willing to pay.
When it comes to TV, Sling is available in two flavors.
Sling Orange is aimed at people who want more news and entertainment.
Sling Blue is for those of your visitors who need/want more live sports and family-friendly content.
Now let’s take a look at the details of this option for anyone who wanted to promote the Netflix affiliate program…but can’t.
The Sling TV program is managed by the CJ Affiliate affiliate network but it has so many tiers I lost the will to live navigating through them.
It’s also the only referral program I’ve ever come across where they have different cookie durations.
But besides that, you can earn up to $20 per affiliate sale.
- URL: Sling TV affiliate program
- Commission: Up to $20 per sale
- Cookie: 7- 14 days
7 NOW TV
Next up we have a program for UK-based Authority Hackers to promote – Now TV.
This OTT media service operates on a “pass” system.
Your visitors can choose between Entertainment, Sky Cinema, Kids, Sky Sports, or Hayu (reality television shows).
So they don’t actually have to pay for anything until they need it.
Which is a clever way of bypassing the “I won’t want to pay a subscription” hurdle.
Customers can mix and match ‘Passes’, allowing them to tailor their viewing experience.
Choosing from thousands of on-demand movies, hundreds of box sets.
And as much sports as anyone could ever want.
While also getting access to the latest TV shows from the US but without needing an expensive monthly cable package.
The above also makes this particular affiliate marketing offer easy to pre-sell.
That and the fact that the Now TV app is included with most modern smart TVs sold in the UK.
Their referral program is managed by the Awin affiliate though, so you’ll need to first sign up with them to become an affiliate.
But at least you have something to promote to a UK audience in the absence of an actual Netflix affiliate program.
And the opportunity to earn up to £8 for all sales credited to your referral link.
- URL: Now TV affiliate program
- Commission: Up to £8 per ‘Pass’ (New customers only)
- Cookie: 30 days
8 Philo
And now we come to the last of our alternatives to the Netflix program – Philo.
This is one of the newest OTT streaming services in the United States, only going live in late 2017.
So what do your visitors get if they sign up?
64 channels + unlimited DVR for $20 per month, but there’s no contract.
Which makes it ideal for the cord-cutter audience.
The available channels are a mixture of entertainment and lifestyle, so you’ll find stuff from A&E Networks, Discovery, Viacom, Hallmark, and AMC.
But there are no sports or news channels.
So this is very much a family-focused streaming service.
However, you can purchase premium add-ons for Philo, including Epix for all your favorite movies and television shows and Starz for more of the same.
It can’t compete with Netflix on price, but it does have an affiliate program for you to monetize your traffic with.
Now let’s take a look at how this compares to the other affiliate programs in our roundup.
For starters, you can tease your visitors with a 7-day free trial, so that’s a useful affiliate presell.
If they do sign up for Philo, you’ll receive $10 per referral, non-recurring, with their pay-per-lead offer.
But they only pay for US referrals.
- URL: Philo affiliate program
- Commission: $10 per sale
- Cookie: 30 days
Over to you
Should you promote these affiliate programs as alternatives to the Netflix affiliate program?
Yes. The offers here pay cash money instead of just crediting your account for referring friends.
But there’s only so many of them that an audience will sign up to before they realize they’re back paying $100 per month for cable, just spread across 10 different subscriptions.
So, you need to be selective about which of these offers you promote to your readers.
That’s the path of least resistance to earning job replacement money.
If you’d like to know more about how you do that, then why not check out our free training.
It covers the basics of what you need to know about putting together an affiliate site.
One that could earn you money for years to come.
And the training is completely free of charge.
You can sign up here.
FAQs
No, Netflix does not have an active public affiliate marketing program that pays cash. They canceled it a few years ago because they had become a globally recognized brand and did not need affiliates to send them new customers.
The Netflix affiliate program used to pay $10 for every new customer you referred. They apparently once even had a CPL offer running that paid $25 per sale.
There is no official confirmation from Netflix about reviving its affiliate program. However, there is a rumor that Netflix might do so in the future because of the increasing competition from other streaming services.
Some of the popular alternatives to the Netflix affiliate program are:
Amazon Prime Video: This service offers a lot of movies, TV shows, documentaries, and original content. The affiliate program pays $3 per sale, non-recurring.
Hulu: This service offers current and classic movies and TV shows, as well as Hulu originals. The affiliate program pays $2 per sale, non-recurring.
Disney+: This service offers exclusive access to the Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar franchises, as well as other content. The affiliate program pays up to $11 per sale, non-recurring.
CBS All Access: This service offers live sports, news, reality TV and Star Trek shows. The affiliate program pays $9 per sale, non-recurring.
Dish Network: This service offers satellite TV and OTT streaming packages. The affiliate program pays $100 per sale, non-recurring.
Sling TV: This service offers cable TV channels and on-demand content. The affiliate program pays up to $20 per sale, non-recurring3.