Showtime's Streaming Service May Be Discontinued And Folded Into Paramount+
The Showtime streaming service might be discontinued and folded into Paramount+, sources told The Wall Street Journal. Paramount Global owns both services, and the idea is to consolidate the two streaming services to help the overall offering stand out in the ever-expanding streaming content landscape.
Showtime's streaming offering costs $11/month and some of its marquee programming includes Yellowjackets, Billions, Dexter: New Blood, and L World. Paramount+, meanwhile, starts at $5/month and has shows like Halo and Mayor of Kingstown. According to the report, no decisions have been made about combining the two services, and discussions are «still early.»
A spokesperson for Paramount Global told WSJ, «We are always exploring options to maximize the value of our content investment by giving consumers access to great Paramount content through an array of services and platforms.»
The report points out that combining Showtime and Paramount+ would potentially require «complex negotiations» with the cable and satellite TV providers that host Showtime currently. Paramount has already spoken with at least one «major» pay-TV company, WSJ's sources said, without naming any company.
Showtime's streaming package and Paramount+ are already offered as a bundle--$8/month with ads and $13/month without ads--though both services still have separate apps.
In other streaming news, Netflix's new ad-based tier is expected to roll out this November.
Read more on gamespot.com
