Paramount Plus starts at just $5 a month, but you'll need the more expensive plan to get live CBS

When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.

• CBS All Access became Paramount Plus on March 4.
• The rebranded streaming service features original shows and movies from popular franchises.
• Paramount Plus starts at $5/month, and new members can get a seven-day free trial.

Paramount Plus is one of the most affordable streaming services available. On June 7, the platform dropped the price of its ad-supported plan from $6/month to $5/month.

The service offers a growing collection of original series and films, like a "SpongeBob Squarepants" movie and spinoff show, several "Star Trek" series, and a reboot of the popular Nickelodeon show iCarly.

Paramount Plus also has live CBS sports, with content for soccer fans like UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and the National Women's Soccer League. Golf enthusiasts will find live events including the Masters and the PGA Championship. In addition, NFL and SEC football games that air on CBS are available on Paramount Plus.

Access to your local CBS station is also included, but only with the Premium Plan for $10 a month. If you sign up for Paramount Plus now, you can get a seven-day free trial.

Below, we've detailed all the ins and outs of Paramount Plus, including pricing, release dates, and what you can expect to watch. For full impressions on the service, check out our Paramount Plus review.

What is Paramount Plus?

Paramount Plus is a subscription streaming service from ViacomCBS. The service replaced the company's previous platform, CBS All Access, on March 4.

The rebranded service promises an expansion of its predecessor's on-demand lineup. Paramount Plus plans to add 2,500 movies by the end of summer 2021, according to a press release.

Like its predecessor, Paramount Plus also offers live access to your local CBS network, but this option is only available with the Premium Plan.

Paramount Plus includes programs from CBS, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, and The Smithsonian Channel. New and classic movies from Paramount, Miramax, and MGM are included as well. The library also features Paramount Plus originals you won't find anywhere else.

When does Paramount Plus launch?

Paramount Plus launched in the US, Canada, and Latin America on March 4.

Nordic countries received Paramount Plus on March 25, while Australia and New Zealand are expected to get the streaming service on August 11.

How much does Paramount Plus cost?

Paramount Plus offers two plans: an ad-supported "Essential Plan" for $5 a month ($50 a year) and an ad-free "Premium Plan" for $10 a month ($100 a year). The annual plans end up saving you about 16% compared to the month-to-month options.

Both plans feature access to the platform's on-demand library, but the Essential Plan is subject to commercial interruptions when streaming on-demand programs.

The Premium Plan steps things up with ad-free streaming of on-demand content, and it adds live access to your local CBS station. That said, live CBS streaming still features regular commercial breaks.

What happens if I subscribed to the original Limited-Commercial Plan?

The new Paramount Plus Essential Plan is a replacement for the Limited-Commercial Plan. The Limited-Commercial Plan cost $6 a month and was discontinued on June 7.

The new Essential Plan saves subscribers $1 a month but there is one key drawback. The Essential Plan is missing live CBS while the Limited-Commercial Plan included that feature.

Existing subscribers to the discontinued Limited-Commercial Plan will continue to pay the original $6/month rate unless they unsubscribe and resubscribe to Paramount Plus. These members also get to keep access to their live CBS network as long as they don't cancel their existing subscription.

Does Paramount Plus offer a free trial?

Paramount Plus offers a seven-day free trial for new members.

You can also get 25% off Paramount Plus if you're a student at a US college or university. This offer is only available for the monthly ad-supported plan. Students are eligible for the discount for a span of four years.

What devices can I use to watch Paramount Plus?

Paramount Plus is compatible with the following devices:

• iOS
• Android
• Chromecast
• Roku
• Apple TV
• Fire TV
• Portal TV
• Samsung smart TVs
• Vizio TVs
• LG TVs
• PlayStation 4
• Xbox One
• Xbox Series S
• Xbox Series X
• Xfinity Flex

Can you stream Paramount Plus in 4K, Dolby Vision, and HDR?

Select Paramount Plus titles are available to watch in 4K, HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. These formats are only available to subscribers of the Premium Plan ($10/month), and are not supported on the cheaper Essential Plan ($5/month).

Shows available in these advanced video formats are marked with "badges" on their title pages, while movies that support these formats mention them in their description boxes.

Paramount Plus supports streaming in 4K, Dolby Vision, and HDR10 on the following devices:

• Select Roku models
• Amazon Fire TV (Stick 4K, Cube)
• Select Android TV models
• Apple TV 4K

How does Paramount Plus compare to CBS All Access?

Paramount Plus is essentially an expansion of CBS All Access.

CBS All Access members that had active subscriptions automatically transitioned over to Paramount Plus on March 4, enabling them to use their same account information. The CBS All Access app automatically switched to Paramount Plus as well. This means you get all the same content that was on CBS All Access, along with brand-new shows and more classic titles.

That said, Paramount Plus introduced a new ad-supported Essential Plan in June, and it does differ slightly from the original CBS All Access Limited-Commercial Plan it replaces. The Essential Plan costs $1 less each month, but it no longer offers live CBS streaming.

New members who want to access live CBS streaming on Paramount Plus need to have the Premium Plan. Those who were still subscribed to the Limited-Commercial Plan when it was discontinued, however, can keep live CBS streaming as long as they don't cancel their membership.

What can I watch on Paramount Plus?

Paramount Plus offers access to classic and original programs from the likes of Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, MTV, Paramount Pictures, and CBS. The Premium Plan also adds access to your local CBS network.

The service will be home to brand-new movies, including Paramount's upcoming theatrical releases 30 to 45 days after they debut on the big screen. This means you'll be able to stream "A Quiet Place II" later this month while it's still in theaters. "Snake Eyes," "PAW Patrol: The Movie," and "Mission: Impossible 7" are other major movies coming to the streaming service in 2021 and 2022.

Older films are also included. The service launched with movies from popular franchises like "Indiana Jones" and "Star Trek." The streaming service will add more than 2,500 films by the end of summer 2021.

New Paramount Plus originals set for release over the next two years include "Halo," a show based on the video game series of the same name, and "Y:1883," a prequel to the popular show "Yellowstone." If nautical nonsense is something you're after, a new animated series "Kamp Koral: Spongebob's Under Years" is available to stream now.

Originals that initially premiered on CBS All Access also remain available, including "Star Trek: Discovery," "Star Trek: Picard," "The Twilight Zone," and "The Stand."

You can find a full breakdown of new Paramount Plus movies and shows here.

----------------------------------------------

By: [email protected] (Ben Blanchet,Reece Rogers)
Title: Paramount Plus starts at just $5 a month, but you'll need the more expensive plan to get live CBS
Sourced From: feedproxy.google.com/~r/clusterstock/~3/GT3n_RM9Myc/paramount-plus-streaming-service
Published Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2021 17:37:57 +0000

Read More