ViacomCBS Launches Showtime & Paramount+ Bundle For Just $9.99 a Month (38% OFF)

ViacomCBS is launching a brand-new streaming bundle that will let you get Paramount Plus and Showtime with a big savings. There are two bundles: they will offer Paramount+ Essentials and Showtime Bundle for $9.99 a month, or Paramount+ Premium Ad-Free Plan for just $12.99 a month.

Paramount+ & Showtime Bundles

• Paramount+ Essential ($4.99) & Showtime ($10.99): $9.99 (normally $15.98)
• Paramount+ Premium Ad-Free ($9.99) & Showtime ($10.99): $12.99 (normally $20.98)

The company says this “special introductory price” will be available through October 20, 2021. However, they haven’t shared what the bundle pricing will be after that. Prior to this, they gave a $3 discount to Paramount+ subscribers to add Showtime to their existing ad-supported ($13.99 total) and ad-free ($18.99) plans.

“This powerhouse bundle gives us the opportunity to connect ViacomCBS’ diverse and differentiated cross-genre content slate with even more consumers,” said Tom Ryan, President and Chief Executive Officer, ViacomCBS Streaming. “Paramount+ and SHOWTIME are both experiencing tremendous growth and momentum, and we expect this competitively priced bundle to only further expand the reach of both services.”

This isn’t the first time the company has launched a bundle of the services. Last year, they launched a deal that allowed Apple TV+ subscribers ($4.99 a month) to receive Paramount+ Ad-Free ($9.99) and Showtime ($10.99) for just $9.99 a month. However, they discontinued that offer to new subscribers in February.

Last week, ViacomCBS Executive Vice President and CFO Naveen Chopra, speaking at a Bank of America Securities conference on the potential for the bundle, “We’ve sort of built our streaming strategy around the notion of a streaming ecosystem that has a free, pay and premium component to it,” Chopra said, referring to the company’s three primary streaming products — Pluto TV, Paramount+, and Showtime.

Chopra said the strategy gives the company the opportunity to cross-pollinate between the three services, while at the same time serving the broadest base of potential consumers.

“We’ve got a Paramount Plus-Showtime bundle that we’ll be launching later this month,” he said. “I think we found interesting ways to create value out of that ecosystem by sampling; by doing promotions; by creating bundles across those different services.”

“We really like what we can do from a marketing and an acquisition perspective with that portfolio,” Chopra said, referring to the three streaming platforms. “Having all three services does unlock incremental value.”

This move could put wind in the sails of the Showtime staff. An insider close to Showtime said, “A chronic problem which continues to plague Showtime is a lack of investment. You’ve got Netflix out there outspending everyone, and you’ve got WarnerMedia lining up the entire organization behind HBO Max almost in a brutal way. They’re playing for keeps. … You have to be really really committed to your streaming strategy, and that means spending money and lining up the organization in a way that promises to accomplish the goal.”

Any move from the parent company to get more eyes on Showtime’s content is likely to be a win, and the discount provides added incentive to see what’s streaming on Paramount+.