Showtime’s streaming service, Showtime OTT, has gotten mileage out of its extended 30-day free trial offer. The company reports a 148 percent hike in the last month, Variety noted. TV viewership is up 50 percent and movie viewership is up 80 percent.
The first rise came when California Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested canceling events with 250-plus people in mid-March. Showtime registered a 50 percent rise in free-trial subscriptions and viewership the following week. It earned another 50 percent pop a week later.
For the streamer, it translates into subscription boost. ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish said Showtime-CBS All Access could hit 16 million paid subs by the end of the year.
The most popular shows on the streamer include “Billions,” “Shameless” and “Homeland.” In addition, “Penny Dreadful” and “Twin Peaks: The Return” saw their audiences double. Favored movie titles among Showtime’s linear subscribers include “Clear and Present Danger,” “Good Will Hunting,” “The American President,” “The Upside,” “Green Book,” and “A Dog’s Journey,” said the company.
“It has been an unfortunate time for the country, but it’s probably been a very good time for television,” Tom Christie, Showtime COO told the trade magazine. It will take time to process the data and see if subscribers stick. But the streamer has seen a “nice jump in paying subscribers.”