Paramount+ With SHOWTIME is now once again Paramount+ Premium
Paramount+ With SHOWTIME is now once again Paramount+ Premium
Like Max before it, Paramount+ With Showtime is being rebranded with the name that it was originally rebranded to replace.
There must be something in the streaming air, as everything old is new again; at least when it comes to platform branding. In May, Warner Bros Discovery announced that it would be returning its flagship streaming service to its previous name, going from the vague Max to the more prestigious and specific HBO Max. Now, Paramount Global is doing the same thing, but in reverse. The company has started the process of rolling back the name of its streamer’s ad-free premium tier from the descriptive, yet cumbersome, Paramount+ With SHOWTIME to its previous name, the more traditional Paramount+ Premium.
Key Details:
- Run it back: Paramount+ is officially returning its ad-free tier to its original name Paramount+ Premium.”
- No other changes: Other than discarding the clunky “Paramount+ With SHOWTIME” moniker, no other changes are planned.
- What about the cable channel?: Despite the streaming name switch, Paramount will continue to call its premium cable channel “Paramount+ with Showtime.”
When the company rebranded the ad-free tier to Paramount+ With SHOWTIME in January 2023, it was done to communicate that the platform had become the home to all of the premium titles from the eponymous cable channel. Previously, Paramount+ subscribers had not been able to stream Showtime series like “Dexter,” “Shameless,” “Homeland,” “Billions,” and many others. Following the change, Paramount+ subscribers were able to access all of the content from across the company’s holdings. While this new change will remove the Showtime branding from the streamer’s top tier, there will not be any impact on the content found within.
“I can confirm Paramount+ is updating the name of its ad-free plan to Paramount+ Premium,” Paramount’s SVP for corporate communications Patricia Kollappallil told The Streamable. “The plan name change is rolling out across platforms beginning this June. The name change does not impact the content offering of the Premium plan.”
The newly renamed Paramount+ Premium will continue to cost $13 per month or $120 per year, as compared to the ad-supported Paramount+ Essential (which has not undergone a name change); the streamer’s base subscription option runs $8 monthly and $60 annually. Keep in mind that in addition to the differences in price, Paramount+ Essential does not have access to the Showtime library, nor does it come with an around-the-clock feed of your local CBS affiliate or enhanced sports options, both of which are available on the Premium tier.
When Paramount originally made the streaming name change in 2023, the company also made the confusing decision to change the name of its premium cable channel from the well-established Showtime to the redundant Paramount+ With SHOWTIME. The name was puzzling, not only because it was the same as the streaming service’s ad-free tier, but because the cable channel did not air any of the streaming-exclusive content found on Paramount+.
While customers with access to the channel via traditional TV subscriptions could use their TV Everywhere credentials to log into the Paramount+ With SHOWTIME streamer, shows like “Star Trek: Picard,” “Special Ops: Lioness,” and “1923,” were not available via the cable network. Despite the confusion, Paramount Global will not be taking this opportunity to simplify its cable channel’s name, as it is with its streaming tier’s.
“The premium channel name is not changing and will remain as Paramount+ with Showtime,” Kollappallil said.
When Paramount changed its streaming tier’s name two and a half years ago, that helped hasten the end of the standalone Showtime app. In 2024, Paramount+ became the only streamer where fans could watch shows like “Yellowjackets,” “The Agency,” and “The Chi” without having having to pay for a cable, satellite, or live TV streaming subscription.
Cord Cutter News first reported the details of Paramount+ Premium’s name change.
When coupled with WBD’s Max reversal and ESPN naming its forthcoming streaming service just “ESPN”, it appears that naming simplicity is winning the day, something that has been long elusive in the streaming world. So, thank you, Paramount+, for ridding us of one of the clunkiest monikers in streaming, now if only you could do the same for one of the clunkiest monikers in cable.
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. Get free access with a Walmart+ subscription.
Paramount+ includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, 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.