Paramount+, SHOWTIME Have Officially Combined: Here’s Everything You Need to Know
For more than a year, Paramount Global has been telegraphing its plans to eventually merge its two biggest streaming products into one, and today, that has finally happened. The company’s flagship streaming service Paramount+ is now the home of all Showtime content. The streamer has eliminated its Premium subscription plan and replaced it with the new, very cleverly named “Paramount+ With Showtime.”
The two streaming products were first brought together as a bundle late last summer, and their official merger was announced in January; one of many similar moves across the streaming landscape at other major entertainment companies like Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney.
Now that the premium cable content of Showtime is officially part of the Paramount+ platform, there are a number of important questions that many cord-cutters likely have. So, we will attempt to answer as many of them as possible.
Check out a teaser for the new Paramount+ With Showtime Streaming Plan:
What Are Paramount+’s Subscription Tiers?
With the move, Paramount+ has technically eliminated its ad-free Premium plan in favor of the Paramount+ with Showtime tier. This is the only ad-free streaming option that the platform offers. There is no option without commercials to subscribe to either Paramount+ or Showtime individually.
However, if you are comfortable with watching programming with ads, you can opt for the Paramount+ Essential plan, which will provide access to the Paramount+ library, but not the content coming over from Showtime. The Essential plan also does not include the live simulcast of your local CBS affiliate and other Paramount networks that the Paramount+ With Showtime option does.
If you prefer to only opt for the Showtime programming, you can still sign up for that, but not for too much longer (more on that shortly). You can sign up directly through the Showtime website.
How Much Does Paramount+ With Showtime Cost? Did the Price for the Essential Plan Increase?
Both of Paramount+’s pricing plans are getting a price increase, even though only the ad-free tier is adding new content. The lower-cost, ad-supported Essential plan is increasing from $4.99 per month and $49.99 per year to $5.99 and $59.99 respectively. The service’s ad-free tier is going up from the Premium plan’s $9.99 and $99.99 prices to $11.99 monthly and $119.99 annually.
If you do want to go with Showtime on its own, however, you will have to pay $10.99 per month via Showtime, which makes all of the additional Paramount+ content and live linear channels even more attractive.
What Content Is Available to Watch on Each Tier?
All of the Paramount+ library is available on both the Essential and With Showtime plans. This includes all Paramount+ Originals, as well as on-demand episodes of series from across the Paramount stable of channels, and the complete library of TV series and movies. In total, there are over 40,000 titles available to stream on the Essential tier alone.
Available on the service include all of the shows from the “Star Trek” Universe including “Picard,” “Lower Decks,” and “Strange New Worlds,” “as well as “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Spongebob SquarePants,” “iCarly,” “NCIS,” “Criminal Minds,” and more. Also included is the Taylor Sheridan universe which consists of “1883,” “1923,” “Tulsa King,” “The Mayor of Kingstown,” the upcoming “Special Ops: Lioness” and the yet-to-be-titled “Yellowstone” spinoff.
In addition, Paramount+ is the streaming home for recent hit films like “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” “Scream VI,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” and more.
While the Essential plan does not include access to your local CBS affiliate, it does provide separate live feeds in order to watch “NFL on CBS” games and UEFA Champions League matches available in your area.
On the Paramount+ With Showtime plan, you get all of the content available on the ad-supported tier, but also over 5,000 episodes and movies from the Showtime archives, including “Billions,” “The Chi,” “Dexter,” “Yellowjackets,” “George & Tammy,” “Your Honor,” and more. It will also be the streaming home of upcoming series like “A Gentleman in Moscow” and “The Woman in the Wall.”
Can You Use TV Everywhere Credentials to Stream Showtime on Paramount+?
If you subscribe to Showtime via your cable or satellite provider, that means you have the right to stream the channel’s content on your computer, mobile device, or Smart TV. However, you will not be able to do that via Paramount+. For now, you will still need to use the Showtime website or app to use your TV Everywhere credentials to stream your favorite shows and movies.
However, you only have roughly six months left to do that. Paramount Global has said that it plans to shut down the standalone Showtime app by the end of the year. It is believed that customers will then need to subscribe to Paramount+ in order to stream Showtime programming.
Is There a Free Trial for the New Paramount+ With Showtime Subscription Plan?
If the new prices for the Paramount+ subscription plans have you a little unsure if the content offerings are worth the investment, fortunately, you can sample all of the programming for a full month free of charge.
However, you need to hurry if you want to take advantage of this deal, as it is only available through June 30.
What Happens If I Subscribe to Showtime Via Roku, Apple, Prime Video, Other Third-Party Service?
If you have signed up to stream Showtime via any third-party streaming hub, then there are currently no changes being made to your subscription or how you can access Showtime content. However, Paramount has indicated that it will have more information for this group of customers in the future, which will likely mean a transition over to the Paramount+ With Showtime plan.
What Happens If I Subscribed to the Paramount+, Showtime Bundle via SHOWTIME?
When Paramount announced the initial Paramount+ and Showtime bundle, customers were able to subscribe to it via either streaming service. So, with the Showtime app eventually being sunset, that presents some questions for those that opted to sign up via Showtime. Fortunately, this is an easy fix.
While those customers are able to continue streaming via Showtime until the time when the app is shut down, they can also use their existing Showtime credentials to sign into Paramount+ and get the same access as they do via Showtime.
Are Showtime Pay-Per-Views Now Included on Paramount+
Unfortunately, you will not be able to watch any of the boxing or mixed martial arts pay-per-view events are not included with a Paramount+ With Showtime subscription. Unlike Peacock’s deal with the WWE which saw the NBCUniversal streamer become the home of the wrestling promotion’s signature events, cord-cutters will still need to order all Showtime PPV events through the app or website.
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.