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Paramount Plus is the best streaming service for fans of CBS programs, Showtime series, and franchises like "Mission: Impossible" and "Survivor." It's also one of the most affordable options, with standard ad-supported plans starting at $8 a month.
The service features a growing collection of original series and films, including several "Star Trek" shows, a "Yellowstone" prequel called "1923," and a reboot of "Frasier." Popular sports are also available, including NFL games and UEFA Champions League matches. You can even live stream CBS and access Showtime, but only with the ad-free tier.
To help you decide whether a subscription is right for you, we've rounded up everything you need to know about Paramount Plus, including how much it costs, package differences, and available programming. For detailed impressions, check out our Paramount Plus review.
Paramount Plus offers a huge library of on-demand content from Paramount, CBS, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, and MTV. The Premium Plan also includes Showtime and live CBS streaming. It costs $12.99 a month or $120 a year. More importantly, it removes ads from the on-demand streaming library.
Paramount Plus is a subscription streaming service from ViacomCBS. It includes select programs from CBS, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, The Smithsonian Channel, and more. You also get 24/7 news programming and next-day access to news programs like "60 Minutes" and "Face the Nation."
New and classic Paramount movies are included as well, and the library features Paramount Plus originals you won't find anywhere else. The premium plan also adds access to everything on the Showtime cable channel and livestreaming support for your local CBS network.
Paramount Plus has two plans: an ad-supported Essential plan for $8 a month ($60 a year) and an ad-free plan with Showtime for $13 a month ($120 a year).
All Paramount Plus memberships give subscribers access to the entire Paramount Plus collection of on-demand programs and select live sports, but the Essential plan is subject to commercial interruptions when streaming on demand.
Meanwhile, the premium plan with Showtime gives you ad-free streaming of on-demand content, live access to your local CBS station, and full streaming access to Showtime's entire library of programs. Since it's live, however, CBS streaming still features regular commercial breaks.
You can sign up for the Paramount Plus with Showtime or Paramount Plus Essential plans through the Paramount Plus website. The premium plan is also available as an add-on channel to Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, in addition to several live TV streaming services.
Walmart Plus memberships include a Paramount Plus Essential subscription at no extra cost. Walmart Plus is a shopping service designed to compete with Amazon Prime. It costs $13 a month or $98 a year.
In addition to Paramount Plus, Walmart+ offers subscribers other perks, such as free shipping and fuel discounts. Check out our Walmart Plus guide for a full breakdown of the service.
Paramount Plus merged with Showtime in June 2023, allowing viewers to access content from both properties through one membership and app.
Showtime is now included by default with Paramount Plus' top tier. However, the cheaper Paramount Plus Essential plan does not include Showtime.
This development comes as other digital platforms have carried out similar mergers, with HBO Max and Discovery Plus bringing content together under their rebranded Max streaming service and Disney launching a "one-app experience" that allows Hulu and Disney Plus subscribers to watch content from both services in the Disney Plus app.
Paramount Plus lets you watch live CBS sports. The Essential and Premium plans both include support for streaming local NFL games on CBS, as well as some live soccer content like the UEFA Champions League.
That said, to get access to the platform's entire lineup of live sports — which includes The Masters, NCAA basketball (including March Madness), PGA Tour, SEC football, and MMA — you need the Premium plan.
Paramount Plus is compatible with the following devices:
Select Paramount Plus titles can be streamed in 4K with HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision support. These formats are only available to Premium plan subscribers ($13/month) and are not supported on the cheaper Essential plan ($8/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:
You can also stream select Paramount Plus titles with Dolby Atmos sound on some devices. Check out our guides to HDR and Dolby Atmos for full details on each format's capabilities.
Paramount Plus offers access to classic, new, and original programs from the likes of Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, MTV, Paramount Pictures, and CBS. The Premium plan also adds live access to your local CBS network and on-demand access to Showtime.
Currently airing shows on CBS are available on-demand via Paramount Plus the day after they air on TV, so you can catch up on your favorites, including "Survivor," "SWAT," and "Ghosts," without a cable subscription. The streaming service hosts every episode of "Criminal Minds," including the initial CBS rollout and the current "Evolution" continuation exclusive to Paramount Plus.
Other popular procedural franchises, including "Blue Bloods," "CSI," "FBI," and "NCIS," are also available to stream. The service is an absolute hub for fans of "Star Trek," both the series and the movies. It also hosts most of Robert and Michelle King's award-winning dramas, like "The Good Wife," "The Good Fight," "Evil," and "Elsbeth."
The streaming service is home to brand-new movies, including Paramount theatrical releases after they finish playing on the big screen, including titles like "Smile 2" and "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning." Older films and shows are also available, including Paramount classics like "Top Gun."
Popular Paramount Plus original shows include "Mayor of Kingstown," "Lioness," "Halo," "Frasier," "iCarly," and "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars." While the streaming service doesn't have "Yellowstone" (you'll have to look to Peacock for that), it carries other Taylor Sheridan series, including the "Yellowstone" spinoffs "1883" and "1923."
Check out our full breakdown of Paramount Plus movies and shows for a bigger overview of what this streaming service offers.
Yes, Paramount Plus is available in select countries outside the United States, including the UK, Australia, Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, Chile, and other regions. For a full list of countries where Paramount Plus is available, you can check out the streaming service's global landing page. Below, we've highlighted some of the starting monthly prices in select regions.
Steven Cohen
Senior Tech Editor
Steven is a home entertainment product expert with over a decade worth of service journalism experience. He oversees coverage around home entertainment products, including TVs, streaming devices, headphones, and soundbars.ExperienceSteven is a Senior Tech Editor for Business Insider’s Reviews team. He is responsible for developing buying guides, reviews, and deals coverage for all of the latest TV, video, and audio products. Steven works with a team of experienced freelancers to establish testing methodologies, test products, and select the best of the best for our buying guides. He also has a background in film criticism, having reviewed over 400 movies and TV shows. Steven studied filmmaking and uses his knowledge of video and audio production workflows to help inform his testing parameters when reviewing home entertainment devices. Before joining Business Insider in 2019, he was High-Def Digest's Gear Editor. His work has appeared on Ben's Bargains, Steve's Digicams, Big Picture Big Sound, and Consequence. Why you can trust StevenSteven is not only passionate about TVs, he is also one of the industry’s foremost experts in display quality. In 2019, he was one of a select number of journalists invited to get a hands-on first look at LG's debut 8K OLED TV. He was also among the earliest journalists to demo Dolby Atmos and DTS:X technologies for home theaters in 2014 and 2015, respectively.In 2018, Steven served as a judge for TV Shootout, the premier annual display competition that crowns the best TVs of the year. He also attends yearly industry launches and reviewer workshops for new TVs and audio products from top brands, like LG, Samsung, Sony, and Sonos.Steven knows that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by tech jargon and premium prices on high-end gear, which is why he is passionate about recommending quality options for all price ranges and explaining which features are really worth the money. ExpertiseHis expertise includes:
EducationSteven holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Central Florida.Outside of workSteven lives in Orlando, Florida, with his girlfriend, their dog, and cats. When he’s not covering tech products, Steven loves to explore the theme parks of Orlando and watch movies on his dream home theater setup, complete with the biggest Dolby Atmos speaker system he could fit in an apartment.Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.Learn more about how we test tech and electronics.
Ben Blanchet
Streaming Fellow, Insider Reviews
Ben is a former Streaming and Home Entertainment Fellow for the Business Insider Reviews team, where he covered the latest in streaming services along with roundups of popular TVs, speakers, and headphones. He previously reported for The Buffalo News' Sun newspapers and was an editor at the University at Buffalo's independent student newspaper The Spectrum. He comes from a background in music journalism and he's one of the minds behind "More Than A Hit," a podcast with his brother Brenton where the two talk with music stars from their childhood.See below for some of his work. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.
Sarah Saril
Editor, Deals and How to Watch
Sarah is a Deals Editor for Business Insider’s Reviews team. She also supports our how-to-watch and streaming coverage. She never pays full price if she can help it and is an expert at finding and vetting the best discounts. ExperienceSarah joined the Business Insider Reviews team in 2020, starting as a deals reporter covering the best deals and steals daily. She later migrated to the tech team, where she researched, tested, and reviewed a variety of devices, from gaming mice to Kindle e-readers. Now, she’s returned to her origins, serving as the deals editor to curate only the best discounts and buying advice for readers. She began her career in service journalism in 2018 at Wirecutter as a deals writer, where she absorbed the history of the most frequently discounted products. This has informed her impeccably high standards for what makes a good deal. Ever since her Wirecutter days, Sarah has been an expert deals curator for tentpole sale days like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. Following her weekly contributions to Business Insider’s Newsletter will illuminate new ways to get the best value on products you use every day. Why you can trust SarahSarah doesn’t recommend any deal she wouldn’t pay for herself. She is skeptical about the advertising language brands use to tout their sales and utilizes all the price-checking tools to ensure they deliver savings.Expertise
EducationSarah graduated from the California State University of Fullerton with a degree in Marketing. She lives in Southern California and is the proud pet parent of two German Shepherds and one chihuahua. She loves traveling to try delicious food, is skilled in crocheting and sewing, and enjoys reading horror novels (as long as they don’t keep her awake).Say hi (or send a picture of your pet) to Sarah at [email protected], or reach her on Twitter at @sarahhahr. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Business Insider here.
Lillian Brown
Associate Editor of Streaming
Lillian Brown is the Associate Editor of Streaming on Business Insider’s Reviews team. A lifelong entertainment and media buff, she specializes in helping you find how to watch your favorite shows, movies, and sporting events.ExperienceLillian has been writing about entertainment, sports, TV, and film for over six years, starting her career in the Living/Arts department of The Boston Globe. She went on to write entertainment features, roundups, and conduct celebrity interviews for publications like Vulture, TV Guide, Esquire, Time, and The Daily Beast before joining Business Insider as a streaming specialist. In her current role, she writes about everything from finding the right VPN for watching overseas soccer games to choosing between the endless number of streaming services out there. When she’s not writing, she is editing stories from freelancers or fellow Reviews team members. Lillian is also an expert deal hunter. She loves the thrill of sharing an amazing discount with readers, whether it be on her favorite streaming services or on products she knows our team loves and recommends. She plays an active role in writing about sales and deals for the Reviews team.Why you can trust LillianWhether she’s testing streaming platform interfaces or actively comparing channel offerings between services, Lillian always has her finger on the pulse of what’s new in entertainment. She has tested nearly every streaming service and is an expert when it comes to VPNs. She is the first person to know when a streaming service has changed its price, and whether or not it’s still worth paying for. As a sports fan, she also knows exactly where the next big playoff game is streaming, what time it starts, and where they’re playing. Expertise
Outside of workMost of the time, you can find Lillian watching a horror movie, WNBA game (go Liberty!), or long-distance running. She is located in Boston.
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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected].
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