Watch movies & TV online 

All the streaming sites listed in this guide are 100% legal, including the free ones.

However, there are plenty of websites online offering "free movie streaming" which aren't legal, and could put your PC/laptop at risk of viruses, malware and trojans. So it's important you know how to protect yourself, both from the security threats and the fine and/or prison sentence you could face for streaming an illegal movie.

We spoke to online security expert Graham Cluley to get his advice about online streaming:

Am I breaking the law if I stream movies online?

"It's not breaking the law if the site has permission to stream the movie. It's all to do with whether the site has struck a deal with the movie company to reproduce their movie in streaming form," says Cluley.

What should I be looking out for when choosing a site to stream online content?

"You're obviously going to feel more comfortable when visiting a site which has a well-established brand," Cluley says.

Sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video offer trusted, secure streaming services. But a quick Google for "free online movie streaming" brings up a host of illegal sites – nine times out of 10, if it's offering the latest releases for free, it's not legit. Cluley's advice? "Go with a well-established name."

What about viruses/malware? Is streaming safe?

If you're using a big-name service, like Netflix, it will be safe. But be vigilant and look out for phonies. "Hackers have in the past created websites which attempt to trick you into installing malware, on the pretext of being a video plugin," says Cluley.

"You should always run up-to-date antivirus software."

What about pop-up blockers?

"A site may ask you to disable pop-up blockers because it might prevent the playing of the video or because it plans to pop up adverts," says Cluley. "Either way, my advice would be to be wary of disabling such blockers."

For more info about protecting your PC/laptop, see the Free Antivirus Software guide.