Paramount Plus will be integrating the television network Showtime into their service this summer, which was announced on Tuesday by Tom Ryan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Streaming at ViacomCBS, at an investor event, according to Deadline. ViacomCBS was also renamed Paramount as of Wednesday.
“So let’s talk about how we’re helping subscribers access even more of our amazing streaming services, right there in the Paramount Plus app,” Ryan said during his virtual presentation, per Variety. “Our existing bundle, of Paramount Plus and Showtime, has performed very well out of the gate. That’s because users can access two premium content offerings, with streamlined sign-up, but viewed in distinct apps. Starting this summer, we’re making Showtime even easier to access in one app experience.”
Ryan also said, according to Variety, that the Showtime OTT (Over-The-Top) premium subscription service will still be available separately from Paramount Plus if a customer is not looking to subscribe to Paramount and that customers will be able to buy the bundle outside the Paramount Plus app, but that it will be easiest to use the bundle through their app.
“It will be seamless to sign up for Showtime, and easier than ever to discover great shows.” Ryan explained. “You’ll be able to simply upgrade your Paramount Plus subscription to a bundle that includes the Showtime service and then view all that content in a single user experience and then, when you’re done watching ‘Mayor of Kingstown,’ you’ll be able to move immediately to the next season of ‘Billions’ without ever leaving the Paramount Plus app.”
The price for this bundle will be $11.99 or customers can upgrade to a version of the bundle without ads for $14.99, Deadline reports.
According to Variety, ViacomCBS reported at the investor event that the company had reached more than 56 million subscribers worldwide between Paramount Plus and Showtime by the end of 2021. Approximately 80% of those, 7.3 million, have come strictly from Paramount Plus. By the close of quarter four, Paramount Plus had reached 32.8 million total subscribers.