A lot is changing at ViacomCBS—which changed its name today to . On a On Tuesday, the company announced that its streaming service, (formerly known as CBS All Access), reached 32.8 million subscribers during the last quarter of 2021. It’s a notable milestone for the platform, putting it ahead of the pack. from Peacock (), as well as other smaller platforms like ESPN+ () and Discovery+ ().
That growth appears to be prompting the company to consolidate some of its streaming offerings, specifically the Showtime Anywhere service, now 12 years old. Existing Paramount+ subscribers will soon be able to watch Showtime in the app itself, albeit for an extra fee. Instead of paying for Showtime’s standalone streaming app (which costs $10.99 a month), users can bundle Paramount and Showtime together, for $12 a month or $15 a month for level. “At Paramount+, it will be easy to sign up for Showtime and easier than ever to discover great shows. You can simply upgrade your Paramount+ subscription to a package that includes the Showtime service and then view all of that content in a single user experience,” said Tom Ryan, head of streaming at Paramount today.
While it’s unclear how much the world needed to subscribe to Showtime (you can currently buy access as a companion service through Apple TV+, Hulu, Prime Video, SlingTV, and pretty much everyone else), it’s not a bad deal for viewers. existing Paramount subscribers. A spokesperson for Paramount told Ploonge that there are currently no plans to shut down Showtime Anywhere.
Another attraction for Paramount+ subscribers is that the app will soon be the exclusive home for all Paramount movies, in 2024. Not a surprising move, as everyone is gobbling up exclusive content to gain the upper hand. Netflix’s growth rate is , which could be a positive sign for the competition. But there is no right formula for streaming success. Streaming subscribers are , and having one or two hit shows is not a guaranteed path to repeat customers. The new exclusivity and bundle deal with Showtime at least ensures that Paramount+ has a steady stream of new content to keep existing viewers happy.
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