Posted in: CBS, Showtime, streaming, TV | Tagged: paramount, Paramount Global, showtime, streaming

Paramount+, Showtime Joining Forces for Single Streaming App

Published Wed, 31 Aug 2022 19:57:10 -0500

Paramount+ is now offering a bundle with Showtime into a single streaming app. The rollout follows an initial move last year to unify the billing of the two with significant discounts, as Paramount Global was looking to give an extra boost to the service. New subscribers will be able to sign up for Paramount+ with Showtime for $7.99 a month for basic service with ads and $12.99 to go ad-free. Current subscribers will be able to upgrade to the bundle within the service. After the introductory discount ends on October 2, the bundle will cost $11.99 monthly with ads and $14.99 without. Subscribers interested in having only Showtime, without Paramount+, will still be able to get it for $10.99 a month as a stand-alone offering as well as through third-party distributors.

Mission: Impossible, A Quiet Place to Paramount+ 45 Days After Release — Paramount+ Logo. Image: ViacomCBS

Why Paramount+ Is Bundling with Showtime

Before the rollout, Paramount+ was $4.99 a month with ads or $9.99 without. Live shows, particularly sports, are not part of the ad-free promise. Upon the streamer's initial rollout, it was initially branded as CBS All Access before its permanent change. The bundling comes in light of the news of Warner Bros Discovery looking to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single app. Disney did the same for bundling Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu since 2020. The current offering is $19.99 a month with ad-free Hulu and $13.99 with ad-supported Hulu. Each is also offered separately for now but might change in 2024 when Disney gains full control of Hulu. "The Paramount+ with Showtime bundle offers consumers unprecedented value by providing one of the broadest content libraries in streaming at one of the lowest prices in the marketplace," said Tom Ryan, president & chief executive officer of Paramount Global Streaming. "This singular user experience streamlines sign-up and enhances discovery, and this lower price will allow more households to enjoy this exceptional combined entertainment offering."