The streaming world continues to consolidate, but that’s not necessarily lessening the confusion over where to watch what. The latest move is with Showtime becoming a part of Paramount+. While parent company Paramount didn’t directly announce the change, it long had been in the running before Variety reported the news via an internal memo from Paramount CEO Bob Backish.
The end result? “Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.” That’s the official name, clunky and capitalized as it is. The change itself isn’t immediately — “later this year” was all Backish had to say in the memo about the timing — but it’s part of a larger sea change that actually started a few years ago. CBS All Access was the first iteration of the Paramount-owed streaming service (back then it was all a part of ViacomCBS). But the broadcast company we know as CBS doesn’t have a presence outside of the U.S., and so the Paramount name took over in 2021. Further consolidation was in the cards, and that brings us to this latest news.
The change also creates a two-way street that’s confusing if you have to look at it all together, but not so bad if you’re just a regular consumer. Showtime-branded content will appear in the Paramount+ app, and select Paramount+ originals are going to be available on the linear (i.e., non-streaming) Showtime subscriptions. For instance: You’ll likely be able to watch something like Ray Donovan in the Paramount+ app, or Mayor of Kingstown on Showtime as part of a cable subscription.
“This new combined offering demonstrates how we can leverage our entire collection of content to drive deeper connections with consumers and greater value for our distribution partners,” Backish said in the memo reported by Variety. “This change will also drive stronger alignment across our domestic and international Paramount+ offerings, as international Paramount+ already includes Showtime content.”
Backish in his internal memo didn’t mention whether Paramount+ prices would change once Showtime is fully assimilated. There’s no word on just how long the standalone Showtime streaming service will remain available, but we’d expect it to go away at some point.
