Paramount Global has quietly hit the “undo” button on the brand name for its premium Paramount Plus streaming tier.
After more than a year of marketing the premium tier as “Paramount Plus with Showtime,” Paramount has opted to simplify things by referring to the plan as “Paramount Plus Premium,” a name that effectively divorces the service’s brand from its multiplex cable TV network.
Little else has changed beyond the name: Paramount Plus Premium still costs $13 per month or $130 per year, offers commercial-free access to Paramount and Showtime’s on-demand channels, and includes the bicoastal feeds of the Showtime movie network. Paramount Plus Premium also includes a live feed of a subscriber’s local CBS station or affiliate.
Curiously, Paramount has chosen not to rebrand the flagship Showtime channel, which continues to carry the “Paramount Plus with Showtime” branding, even as its streaming service moves away from the name.
Paramount has not modified its Essentials streaming plan, either, which continues to offer ad-supported access to CBS shows and movies, as well as next-day airings of programs from Paramount-owned cable networks like Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, plus movies from Paramount Pictures and live sports from the NFL, UEFA Champions League and other franchises.
Paramount first revealed the “Paramount Plus with Showtime” name in December 2023, saying the brand would create synergy between the premium plan of its streaming platform — which has long included TV shows and films from Showtime — and its pay TV multiplex.
As part of the Paramount Plus with Showtime launch, the company shut down the standalone Showtime app. Its cable and satellite subscribers were redirected to Paramount Plus for streaming access to Showtime’s on-demand movies and shows.
Paramount Global is in the process of merging with production company Skydance Media, an acquisition that has been held up by federal regulators who need to approve the transfer of certain CBS-held broadcast TV licenses. Last year, Paramount wrote down the value of its cable networks, including Showtime, by $6 billion, and some financial analysts have speculated that Paramount’s linear cable networks are immaterial to its long-term business.
