As an independent streaming service: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada,[a] France, German-speaking Switzerland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latin America, United Kingdom, and United States (except for Puerto Rico)[1]
Through third-party distributors: Baltics,[b] Caribbean,[c] India,[d] French-speaking Switzerland,[e] Greece,[f] Middle East,[g] New Zealand,[h] South Korea,[i] Thailand,[j] Russia,[k] and Ukraine[l]
ThroughSkyShowtime: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Netherlands, Nordics,[m] North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain
FollowingCBS’ 2019 reunion withViacom, content from Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and other Viacom brands was subsequently included, and in 2021, the service wasrebranded as Paramount+ on March 4, taking its name from Paramount Pictures and becoming a companion to other Paramount brands. The service expanded into Australia, Latin America, and Europe.[7][8][9] Paramount+ is a sister service toCBS News 24/7 andCBS Sports HQ, which are streaming services for CBS'news andsports divisions,BET+, which is operated by BET and theTyler Perry Studios, andfree ad-supported streaming television servicePluto TV, which was acquired by Viacom 9 months before completing its merger with CBS.
History
As CBS All Access
Logo as CBS All Access, used from October 28, 2014, to March 3, 2021
CBS All Access was launched on October 28, 2014, priced at US$5.99 per month with advertising and $9.99 per month without.[10][11][12][13] Announced on October 16, 2014, as the firstover-the-top (OTT) offering by an American broadcast television network, the service initially encompassed the network's existing streaming portal at CBS.com and its mobile app for smartphones and tablet computers; CBS All Access became available onRoku on April 7, 2015, and onChromecast on May 14, 2015.[14][15] In addition to providing full-length episodes of past and present CBS programs, the service allows live programming streams of local CBS affiliates in 194 markets reaching 92% of the United States (including stations owned bySinclair Broadcast Group,Hearst Television,Tegna Media,Nexstar Media Group,Meredith Corporation,Griffin Media,Gray Television,Weigel Broadcasting, andCox Media Group and the launch group ofCBS Television Stations[16]), includingSEC sports and theNFL; however due to the absence of streaming rights, a few sports events are not streamed on the service (mainly involvingPGA Tour events, some locally programmed NFL preseason games, and selectbrokered shows throughCBS Sports Spectacular), along with limited syndicated andpaid programming where only a local broadcast license to carry the program is allowed and web airing rights are retained by the syndicator or infomercial producer.[17][18][19][20][21] By the very nature of its being live, streaming of a local affiliate does include all advertising, even with the commercial-free plan.
On December 1, 2016, CBS announced an agreement with the NFL to allow clearance of regionalNFL games carried by CBS on CBS All Access from Week 13 of the2016 NFL season on. At the time, the games were blacked out on non–Verizon Wireless mobile devices due to that provider's exclusivity agreement as the official wireless sponsor of the league.[22] In the2018 NFL season, a new agreement with Verizon ending that exclusivity began to allow CBS All Access to stream games to all mobile devices;Super Bowl games run on CBS All Access without the need for any authentication.
As of February 2017,[update] the service had nearly 1.5 million subscribers.[23] In August of the same year, CBS unveiled plans to expand CBS All Access to markets outside the United States. Canada was announced as the first international market to receive the service.[24] Plans to launch in Australia quickly followed, resulting from CBS's purchase of free-to-air broadcasterNetwork 10.[25]
In September 2017,Star Trek: Discovery premiered on CBS All Access, with its first episode also airing on the CBS broadcast network to promote the service. CBS reported that the premiere had driven its largest single-day increase in new subscribers since theGrammy Awards. Along withStar Trek,Big Brother 19 and the start of the2017 NFL season had also driven major increases in growth that month.[26][27]
Buoyed byStar Trek: Discovery, CBS All Access reached over 2 million subscribers by early 2018. The60th Annual Grammy Awards also provided a boost to sign-ups, marking the second largest day for new subscriptions after the Discovery premiere.[28] In April 2018, CBS All Access was made available outside the United States for the first time when it was launched in Canada.[29]
The service launched in Australia in December 2018 as 10 All Access, named after Network 10. It operated alongside 10's free catch up and live streaming service 10 Play and contains a mixture of Network 10 and CBS programming. CBS shows are made available on All Access prior to being broadcast on 10's channels. 10 All Access is commercial-free and, unlike CBS All Access, has only one pricing tier.[30][31]
In January 2019, CBS reported its largest increase in subscribers over a weekend—a 72% increase over the premiere ofDiscovery, crediting the premiere of season 2 of the series and that week'sAFC Championship Game (which also brought the service its largest streaming audience for a football game).Super Bowl LIII would surpass this record only a few weeks later, with CBS reporting an 84% increase in new subscribers.[32][33]
In January 2020, CBS All Access became available on theXfinity Flex platform, followed by the X1 platform in December.[36][37]
On February 6, 2020,CNBC reported thatViacomCBS was in discussions to launch a larger premium streaming offering, combining CBS All Access with content fromParamount Pictures, theDomestic Media Networks division, andPluto TV. The service would include an ad-free tier, and a premium tier that includesShowtime's streaming service. The company would maintain its existing streaming platforms, while marketing the new service to users of these other services.[38][39] ViacomCBS partially outlined these plans in a corporate earnings call on February 20, 2020, stating that the expanded All Access service would take a "house of brands" approach to content and serve as a mid-tier offering complementing Pluto TV (which would remain a free service) and the Showtime OTT service by "adding a broad pay offering, built on All Access's foundation." The expanded service will include content fromMTV,VH1,Nickelodeon,Comedy Central,BET, andSmithsonian Channel, as well as a library of 30,000 television series episodes and up to 1,000 film titles from Paramount's film and television divisions andCBS Media Ventures and expanded live news and sports offerings. No pricing plan or firm dates for content expansion were disclosed, though a "soft relaunch" will occur later in 2020. ViacomCBS will also continue to license its television and film content to competing streaming platforms.[40][41]
On May 7, 2020, CBS All Access began adding more films to the service, starting with more than 100 from Paramount Pictures, and ViacomCBS announced that CBS All Access will expand internationally within twelve months.[42] On July 30, 2020, CBS All Access added several shows fromViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, introduced a new user interface with "hubs" for different brands, and revealed thatKamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years (previously planned to air on Nickelodeon) would debut on the service in 2021.[43] With the expansion, it was also announced that the service would rebrand in early-2021 to separate itself from CBS's platforms, and that there were plans to add multiple user profiles and parental controls later in 2020.[44]
Rebrand as Paramount+
On September 15, 2020, it was announced that CBS All Access would rebrand asParamount+ in 2021, and that it planned to perform more international expansion under the new name.[45]
On January 19, 2021, it was announced that Paramount+ would launch on March 4, 2021, with information being released on February 24, 2021, during an investor event.[46] The company announced that no updates will be provided for apps on second or third generationApple TV once the service relaunches.[47] ViacomCBS announced during their investor event on February 24 that Paramount+ would premiere new 2021 theatrical releases from Paramount Pictures (such asA Quiet Place Part II andSnake Eyes) 45 days after their theatrical release,PAW Patrol: The Movie andClifford the Big Red Dog received simultaneous theatrical and Paramount+ releases on August 20[48] and November 10, 2021[49] respectively, while other future theatrical releases from Paramount would premiere on the service either after their theatrical run or after their run onEpix (which reached a new deal with ViacomCBS that same day to provide content for Paramount+, allowing recent releases from Paramount to be available on the service among other titles).[50]
The relaunch occurred as announced on March 4, 2021, with additional streaming content being launched and further rebranding efforts taking place at that time.[51] In August 2021, it was announced that Paramount+ would be shut down inNordic Europe in 2022 in favor of SkyShowtime, a joint venture withComcast-ownedSky Group that would also include content from Showtime,Sky Studios, andNBCUniversal.[52]
In September 2021, it was announced that Showtime's direct-to-consumer service would be offered as part of a bundle with Paramount+.[53] Showtime content would still be accessed via the Showtime app and website, but plans were announced for Showtime content to be accessible within the Paramount+ apps for its DTC subscribers later in 2022.[54][55] The change was implemented in August 2022, with subscribers on both services able to upgrade to the combined "Paramount+ with Showtime" service for $11.99 per-month with ads and $14.99 without; a discount for new subscribers was available as an introductory offer through October 2.[56][57]
On August 15, 2022,Walmart reached an exclusive deal with Paramount+ to offer the streaming service as part of its Walmart+ offering. It meant that Walmart+ customers could access the ad-supported plan on Paramount+ at no additional charge.[58][59]Qantas also announced it had partnered withParamount ANZ to offer Paramount+ on itsin-flight entertainment systems.[60]
On June 27, 2023, Showtime's direct-to-consumer service in the United States was fully integrated with the advertising-free premium tier of Paramount+, replacing the aforementioned bundle first introduced in 2021. The newly renamed "Paramount+ with Showtime" premium tier was raised from $9.99 to $11.99 per month while the "Essential" plan (containing advertising and no Showtime content) was raised from $4.99 to $5.99 per month.[61][62] The Showtime Anytime app was discontinued on December 14, 2023.[63] That same month, Paramount announced that the apps for Nickelodeon,Nick Jr., MTV, Comedy Central,Paramount Network, and Showtime would be discontinued on January 31, 2024, although this did not include CBS' app.[64] The reason was to encourage more users to sign up for Paramount+. Paramount+’s sister streaming serviceNoggin was shut down by theNickelodeon Group on July 2, 2024 for the same reason. Noggin originally ceased operations as a television service on September 28, 2009 in favor of theNick Jr. Channel.
Geographical expansion
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the service launched on June 21, 2022, one day earlier than planned, and is available to watch on the Amazon Prime Video platform and as a standalone app.[65] Subscribers toSky Cinema received access to the service as part of their subscription, however in January 2025 the offering was shifted from the ad-free to the ad-supported subscription.[66][67]
An announcement about the launch of Paramount+ in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria in the second half of the year was made in early 2022.[68][69] in late 2022, Paramount+ announced that the streaming service will be launched in France and French-speaking Switzerland on December 1, followed by its arrival in Germany, Austria, and German-speaking Switzerland on December 8.[70][71]
Paramount+ was replaced in the Nordics bySkyShowtime, a joint venture withComcast that also includesSky Studios andNBCUniversal content. SkyShowtime was subsequently launched throughout many European countries over the course of late 2022 and early 2023, not including territories where Sky operates as a pay TV provider or France.[52]
The service is scheduled to be launched in Japan from November 15, 2023, in partnership with the cable television J:COM andWowow, as part of their video streaming services, under a similar agreement to that of the South Korea.[72]
This service launched in South Korea on June 16, 2022, on theTVING video streaming platform operated by the entertainment companyCJ ENM. TVING subscribers can stream Paramount+ content at no additional charge,[73] but the Paramount+ hub on TVING in South Korea ended after June 18, 2024.[74]
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found onPhabricator and onMediaWiki.org.
In 2021, ViacomCBS issued a press release that revealed the combined number of subscribers to both CBS All Access and Showtime (another streaming product).[90] That press release revealed that the two streaming services had a combined 19.2 million US subscribers, though the release did not provide individual numbers for either service.[90] In May, ViacomCBS reported to have gained 6 million subscribers during the first quarter.[91] This brought the total number of global subscribers for ViacomCBS streaming platforms (Paramount+, Showtime, BET+) to 36 million. Out of the 36 million subscribers, a majority of these subscribers are subscribed to Paramount+; however, the exact number of subscribers were not released.
On February 15, 2022, Paramount announced that 32.8 million subscribers have signed up for Paramount+ as of the end of 2021. This number increased to 39.6 million as of late March and reached to 43.4 million by September.[92]
In November 2015, it was announced that CBS All Access would expand into original programming, announcing plans for a newStar Trek television series produced byAlex Kurtzman to premiere in 2017. The series would be the first television series in the franchise sinceStar Trek: Enterprise (which ran from 2001 to 2005 on former corporate siblingUPN).[93] The series was later announced asStar Trek: Discovery.[94]
In May 2016, it was announced thatThe Good Wife would get aspin-off featuringChristine Baranski's characterDiane Lockhart;The Good Fight launched with a CBS broadcast premiere in February 2017, with the remaining nine episodes exclusive to CBS All Access.[95] This became the first original drama on the platform, ahead of the delayed launch ofStar Trek: Discovery .[94] In August 2016, it was announced that a streaming spin-off season of CBS reality seriesBig Brother was being planned for CBS All Access.[96] The season,Big Brother: Over the Top, premiered in September 2016.[97]
In February 2021, Paramount+ announced atelevision adaptation of theXbox Game Studios franchiseHalo produced byAmblin Television and Showtime, set to premiere in 2022. The show had been moved from Showtime's slate, as ViacomCBS positions the network as a premium "adult" service (as opposed to the broader positioning of Paramount+).[106]
In May 2021, CBS announced thatEvil andSEAL Team would move from CBS to Paramount+ beginning with their second and fifth seasons, respectively.[107]
In August 2021, as part of the renewal of Comedy Central animated seriesSouth Park through 2027, it was announced that series creatorsTrey Parker andMatt Stone would produce 14 movie-lengthSouth Park specials for Paramount+, with two premiering annually from 2021 through 2027. Streaming rights to theSouth Park series proper are owned byMax through 2025,[108][109] after which streaming rights for new episodes will move to Paramount+ beginning in 2024 (season 27), and the series library in 2025.[110]
In May 2022, Paramount announced that Paramount+ was planned to commission 150 international originals by 2025, including several from Latin America (mainly Mexico) and European territories (including France, Italy, and Spain).[111]
Sports programming
Paramount+ also carries sports programming, in conjunction withCBS Sports. In November 2019, CBS announced that it had acquired streaming rights in the United States to theUEFA Champions League andEuropa League in European soccer, replacing Turner Sports. All matches will stream on the service, with selected matches on the broadcast network andCBS Sports Network.[112] The contract was initially to begin in the 2021–22 season and last through 2023–24. However, during a suspension of the2019–20 season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Europe, existing rightsholderTurner Sports opted out of its contract, and CBS took over the rights early for its remaining seasons.[113] On August 19, 2022, UEFA extended the deal until 2030.[114]
Most matches streamed. Selected matches aired on CBS Sports Network. 57 matches per season (same matches as those aired in the UK by BBC and Sky Sports.)
More than 200 CONCACAF national team matches live, including at least 80 CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying matches and more than 100 CONCACAF Women's Nations League contests
Mexico (exclusive), Central America (exclusive), Dominican Republic (exclusive in Spanish, shared with English-language rightsholder in the Caribbean), Belize (exclusive in Spanish, shared with English-language rightsholder in the Caribbean)
All 380 matches streamed. Streaming rights exclusively in Dominican Republic and Belize.
The most recent episodes of CBS's shows are usually made available on CBS.com and Paramount+ the day after their original broadcast.
Paramount+ provides complete back catalogs of most of its current series, including full-season "stacking rights" (with the exception of certain series, such asThe Big Bang Theory, which CBS held only "last five" episode rights during its original run, asWarner Bros. retains all other rights as the show's distributor), as well as a wide selection of episodes of classic series from theCBS Media Ventures program library – including shows previously owned by the originalParamount Television made for both CBS and other networks prior to CBS's acquisition of its program library through the CBS-Viacom split (including the complete episode catalog of shows likeStar Trek,Cheers,MacGyver,Twin Peaks, andCSI: Miami), along with the pre-1973NBC andABC libraries to subscribers of the service. Paramount+ also carries behind-the-scenes features from CBS programs and special events, and (beginning with the17th season in June 2015) live feeds and special content from the reality seriesBig Brother.[11] However, with Warner Bros. licensing its content from its television and film library (even including a few HBO series) to Paramount+ in select regions like Australia,The Big Bang Theory would soon be made available for streaming on Paramount+.[125]
On February 15, 2022, it was announced that Paramount+ would be the new streaming home forSouth Park in the United States beginning with season 27 in 2024, afterHBO Max's deal to the show will expire in 2025 in the United States and its separate international deal withNetflix has also expired in 2022, with all current seasons ofSouth Park rolling out onto the service in countries where it is available, with new episodes premiering on Paramount+ in those regions.[128] This comes just seven months after the show's creatorsTrey Parker andMatt Stone extending their deals with Paramount Global in August 2021; the streaming acquisition of the series will also include the rights to all 310 episodes beginning in 2022 in other countries and in 2025 in the United States.[129]
CBS's Christmas specials are not available on Paramount+.[130]
Launch
CBS All Access was first launched in the United States on October 27, 2014. The service would receive its first International expansion on April 23, 2018, when CBS All Access expanded to Canada. Australia received its own version of the service, named10 All Access, on December 4, 2018.
In August 2020, ViacomCBS announced plans to launch an expanded international streaming service using the CBS All Access technical architecture, but under the newParamount+ name (revealed in September) in 2021; the Paramount+ name would also be applied to the American replacement to CBS All Access. The service features original programming from CBS All Access as well asShowtime, plus additional programming includingParamount Pictures films which may vary by market. The service would initially launch in the Nordics and Latin America, replacing an existing service of the same name, with additional markets to follow.[131] In Australia, while the relaunched service will premiere all new Showtime original programs going forward, currently airing series will remain onStan until their conclusion under an existing deal.[132]
The Paramount+ brand itself was originated as a subscriptionvideo on demand film service, first launching in the Nordics in 2017,[133] and then inHungary,[134]Latin America,[135] andRussia in the following three years.[136] The current iteration of Paramount+ in the Nordics and Latin America was preceded by this service.
Outside the United States, Paramount+ is currently available in Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Latin America, Middle East (as a pay TV channel), the United Kingdom and Ireland. Additionally, the Paramount+ SVOD service is still active in Russia (asOkko Paramount+ andIVI Paramount Play),[137][138] though the current streaming service is unavailable in said regions. Due to program rights and existing content deals, several programs are not available on local versions, or have delayed availability for new episodes.[139] For example,Star Trek: Discovery and all others from the franchise are licensed toBell Media in Canada for theirCTV Sci-Fi (in English) andZ (in French) channels and streaming serviceCrave.[140][139] As another example, selected Paramount+ original kids and family programming such asKamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years andRugrats are licensed toCorus Entertainment for theirYTV andTreehouse networks andNick+ streaming service in 2021, in part due to pre-existing agreements between Corus and Paramount Global.[141]Star Trek: Prodigy is currently the only show of the genre not to be available on either Corus services or Paramount+. Instead, it airs in Canada on the CTV Sci-Fi Channel.[142]
A localized version of Paramount+ operates in the Middle East as a premium offering on pay-TV providerOSN, replacing the now-defunctParamount Channel. It features content from the aforementioned channel, as well asNickelodeon,Comedy Central andMTV.[143]
In India, Paramount+ original programming, along with Showtime and CBS programming were made available under Voot Select inViacom18'sVoot, a joint venture betweenParamount Global andNetwork 18, beginning in early 2021.[144]
In August 2021,Comcast announced an agreement withParamount Global to launch SkyShowtime, a joint streaming service combining programming from the Paramount Global,Sky, andNBCUniversal libraries as well as original programming fromPeacock and Paramount+.[145][146] The service is expected to be available in 20 smaller European territories, including four Nordic countries along with Hungary where it will replace Paramount+ and Poland where it will replace Paramount Play, instead of Paramount+ and Peacock operating separately in those markets.[52]
In November 2021, it was announced thatStar Trek: Discovery would be pulled fromNetflix in all countries outside the United States and Canada (for whichBell Media retained the license for the entireStar Trek libraries) and moved to Paramount+ for international release.[147] Also reported were plans for its 2022 global rollout, starting with its launch in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Germany, German-speaking Switzerland and Austria viaSky Group[148] and South Korean entertainment and media conglomerateCJ ENM to launch Paramount+ as a content hub onTVING (similar toDisney+'sStar), marking the first Asian region to launch the streaming platform; the partnership also includes a joint venture for future content, including English adaptations oftvN drama series which has produced by CJ's production houseStudio Dragon.[149] During the earning call on May 3, 2022, it was announced that Paramount+ was set to be launched in the United Kingdom and Ireland on June 22, 2022,[150] while the South Korean content hub launch was on June 16, 2022.[151] Paramount also announced that Paramount+ would launch in India from Viacom18 in 2023. It is yet to be announced on whether it will replace Voot along withJioCinema.[150] The service as a content hub on TVING in South Korea was ended after two years in June 2024.[74]
On February 15, 2022, during its annual investor presentation, French media conglomerate and cable operatorCanal+ Group announced that Paramount+ will be launching in France in December of that year,[152] followed by the announcement that the streamer will also expand into theCaribbean by the end of the second quarter of that year.[153]
On March 28, 2022,[154] Caribbean cable operatorsFLOW andBTC announced that Paramount+ will be launching in the Caribbean via the cable companies' video on demand platforms.[155] Within the region's subset covered by those VOD platforms, at least one such country was seemingly omitted from the initial rollout; however, some months later Jamaica was also added.[156][157]
On November 27, 2022, the director of the Swiss branch ofCanal+ Group announced that Paramount+ will be launching in French-speaking Switzerland on December 1, 2022.[71]
Meanwhile, Paramount+ was released in other territories in Europe as SkyShowtime, beginning with replacing Paramount+ in the Nordics on September 20, 2022, launching in October 25 of same year, in the Netherlands and Portugal,[158][159] afterwards in the formerYugoslav countries (exceptNorth Macedonia) on December 14 of that same year,[160] and on February 14, 2023, in the rest of Central and Eastern Europe.[161] SkyShowtime finished its expansion by releasing in Spain and Andorra on February 28, 2023,[162] with its content later being incorporated as part of more expensive packages in the Spanish TV operatorMovistar Plus+ at the beginning of 2024.[163]
Paramount+ had originally announced intentions of launching inSoutheast Asia,Taiwan,Hong Kong,Africa, and theMENA in 2023,[164] but after the end of SkyShowtime's expansion in early 2023, the majority of these plans seem to have been scaled back or postponed, with Paramount Global opting to make Paramount+ available in new regions through partnerships with existing pay TV operators instead of expanding the reach of the standalone streaming platform.
In Belgium some titles from Paramount+ were made available exclusively on Streamz in 2022.[165] In November 2023, the deal with Paramount & Streamz was expanded so that a large part of the Paramount+ catalog would gradually become available on Streamz from December 22, 2023.[166][167]
Paramount+ was launched in Japan on December 6, 2023, as an additional VOD hub for Japanese cable operatorsJ:COM andWowow.[168][169] Similar plans were announced for Greece, in this case via the Greek cable operatorCosmote TV,[170][171] with Paramount+ content becoming avalible on April 22, 2024 across theCosmote Cinema channels and on demand.[172]
A deal was eventually signed for distribution of Paramount+ in the MENA withbeIN Media Group on October 22, 2024,[173] with Paramount+ content now being present in the beIN's television channels, likebeIN Series. This deal was also expanded into beIN's operations inTurkey on February 25, 2025.[174]
Additionaly, Paramount+ was also announced for the Philippines as a content hub onTAP DMV's OTT platformBlast TV,[175] and is set to relaunch in South Korea under the new partnership withCoupang Play in 2025.[176]
77.5 million (as of November 8, 2024[update])[3][4]
