The same week that Warner Bros. Discovery launched its merged HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming service, Max, Paramount announced the launch date of Paramount+ with Showtime. The newly integrated service will roll out to users in the U.S. on June 27.
As part of the launch date announcement, the company also said that it plans to shut down Showtime’s standalone app by the end of this year. Meanwhile, the linear channel will rebrand to Paramount with Showtime.
As the company announced back in February, Paramount+ will see a considerable price hike. Its ad-supported plan, Paramount+ Essential, will go from $4.99 to $5.99 per month, and its ad-free tier, Paramount+ with Showtime, is set to jump from $9.99 to $11.99. Despite both plans getting a price increase, the ad-free plan is the only one combining Showtime content.
“By integrating the Showtime premium and critically acclaimed portfolio with the service’s already broad and popular slate, all at a competitive price, we will solidify Paramount+ as a cornerstone in streaming,” Tom Ryan, President & CEO of Paramount Streaming, said in a statement on Monday.
Admittedly, the $11.99 price tag is $4 cheaper than Max, which charges $15.99 per month for its ad-free subscription.
The company first announced its plans to merge Paramount+ with the Showtime channel in January. Last year, Paramount+ launched an in-app Showtime bundle that cost $11.99 per month with ads and $14.99 per month without ads.
Earlier this month, Paramount had its Q1 earnings call, where the company reported that Paramount+ with Showtime is expected to generate about $700 million in future annual expense savings. However, combining the two services also resulted in a programming charge of $1.7 billion in the first quarter.
Paramount+ currently has 60 million subscribers.
Paramount+ to increase in price when it combines with Showtime on June 27 by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch
