Is Paramount Plus-Showtime Bundle Ending For Existing Apple TV+ Subscribers?
Reddit subscribers along with posters on Twitter have been reporting billing errors for the Paramount+ - Showtime bundle through Apple TV Channels.
Those viewers are saying that their subscriptions are being refunded as being “expired,” which would likely indicate that their subscriptions are ending.
According to Apple news site MacRumors, Apple users have been receiving conflicting responses from Apple Support: Some are being told the billing error is a “fixable mistake”, while others are being told the bundle was a “limited offer” for one year only.
Most users still seem to be able to access the streaming services, but the billing rejections and “expired” terminology appear to indicate the subscriptions will not renew.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.
Thus far, there has been no official comment from Apple or ViacomCBS.
The offer was first made available last August, when Paramount+ was still known as CBS All Access.
When CBS All Access transitioned into Paramount+ in March 2021, the bundle offer remained in place for Apple TV Channels users, providing access to both the ad-free premium version of Paramount+ and Showtime for $9.99 per month.
This would be another blow to the Apple TV Channels platform on the heels of the departure of HBO from the platform just last week.
Many viewers were confused when access to HBO was removed and viewers were told to access HBO Max directly instead.