Big changes are afoot with Paramount+ and Showtime, with the two joining forces to deliver a bevy of content within a single app. Naturally, there’s a price hike in store, too.
As of now, Paramount+ has just two subscription plans, down from four, and only the priciest of the two plans includes Showtime content.
Paramount+ subscribers on the nixed plan will be automatically moved over to the new top tier, but they’ll need to pony up for a price increase, as will subscribers to the ad-supported Essential plan.
So, what does all this mean for those on legacy Paramount+ plans, and how much are prices going up? Also, will the standalone Showtime app stick around?
Here’s what you need to know about the changes coming to Paramount+ and Showtime.
The new Paramount+ plans: Your questions answered
How are Paramount+ subscription plans changing?
Previously, there were four Paramount+ plans, including the ad-supported Paramount+ Essential plan for $4.99 a month, and the ad-free Paramount+ Premium for $9.99/month.
There were also two additional plans that bundled Showtime: the ad-supported Paramount+ Essential with Showtime and the ad-free Paramount+ Premium with Showtime, which–oddly–both wound up costing $11.99 a month.
Now, there are only two tiers: the Paramount+ Essential plan (minus Showtime, as before), and Paramount+ with Showtime, which is just a rebranded version of Paramount+ Premium with Showtime.
What happens to the old Paramount+ Premium plan?
With the changes coming to Paramount+, the old Premium plan (sans Showtime) is going away, and former Premium subscribers will automatically move over to Paramount+ with Showtime.
That move does entail a price increase, however, as we’ll detail in a moment.
What happens to the Paramount+ Essential with Showtime plan?
Like the former Paramount+ Premium plan, Paramount+ Essential with Showtime will bite the dust. Given that the ad-supported Essential with Showtime ended up costing as much as the ad-free Premium with Showtime, it’s doubtful anyone will miss the Essential with Showtime bundle.
Still, if you’re a current Essential with Showtime subscriber, you can keep the plan if you want, although you can’t go back if you cancel or switch to a new plan at some point.
Will there be a Paramount+ price hike?
Yes, there will be a Paramount+ price hike if you were subscribed to the Paramount+ Premium plan. Once you’re moved over to Paramount+ with Showtime, your rate will go up to $11.99 a month, a $2/month price increase.
If, on the other hand, you were previously subscribed to Paramount+ Premium with Showtime, you’ll still be paying the same $11.99 a month for the renamed Paramount+ with Showtime plan.
Meanwhile, the Paramount+ Essential plan (which, remember, doesn’t include Showtime) will see a buck-a-month price increase, from $4.99 to $5.99 a month.
What happens to the Showtime standalone streaming app?
If you want to stream Showtime on its own without any Paramount+ content, you can still grab the Showtime streaming app, but not for long.
Paramount has announced that it will kill the standalone app for Showtime before the year is out.
For now, the price to stream Showtime a la carte remains $10.99 a month.
What will happen to the legacy Paramount+ Limited Commercials plan?
Remember CBS All Access? That old service, which eventually morphed into Paramount+, offered an ad-supported plan called Limited Commercials that included 24/7 access to your local CBS affiliate.
When CBS All Access turned into Paramount+, the Limited Commercials tier was replaced with the Essential plan, which chopped a buck off the monthly price of Limited Commercials but also dropped the live CBS affiliate access, which became exclusive to the ad-free Premium plans.
The Limited Commercials tier, however, lives on for those who were lucky enough to be grandfathered into the $5.99-a-month plan, and those legacy streamers will be able to keep the plan provided they don’t cancel or switch to a new tier.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.