I thought AppleTV was free for a year with my new phone, pls advise

It is free for one year. That includes original content developed by Apple directly. Apple was supposedly going to add some older movies for free soon. If you want to watch other content, you will have to pay for it.

See this link --> https://offers.appletvapp.apple/

If you set this up promptly and correctly, and you’re in a qualifying area, that’s correct.

https://offers.appletvapp.apple/

Follow the directions in the link I provided and sberman provided. If that doesn't work for you, use the Contact Support button at the top of this page and ask for help from Apple.