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Key Points
- Paramount+ is an American video-on-demand subscription service owned by Paramount Global.
- In 2016, the service started to offer original programming.
- You can now access the paid streaming service of Paramount+ on The Roku Channel.
The Roku Channel just added another big streaming content provider to its library with Paramount+.
The channel offers thousands of movies and TV episodes from the Paramount Pictures library and is now available on The Roku Channel. The Paramount+ channel is available to all customers of The Roku Channel via their update program.
It will feature many award-winning hits like Godzilla, Star Trek, and Top Gun, in addition to blockbuster releases such as Mission Impossible – Fallout, Bumblebee, and many more in the future. Paramount+ has chosen The Roku Channel as its exclusive home for its premium movies and TV shows, including recent blockbuster theatrical releases.
Hundreds of titles will be available on demand, including new ones that haven’t yet premiered in cinemas.
For the first time ever, Roku has built a programming guide for a premium subscription partner, and The Roku Channel has done the same for all live Paramount+ content. The new Live TV Guide aims to make it simpler for viewers to navigate Paramount+’s live entertainment offerings.
What is Paramount Plus?
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Paramount+ is an American video-on-demand subscription service owned by Paramount Global. The service’s content primarily comes from the lists of CBS Media Ventures, Paramount Media Networks, and Paramount Pictures.
They concentrate on original films and series, while also doing live sports coverage, and, in the United States, live streaming of local CBS broadcast stations is also included.
The History
On October 28, 2014, CBS All Access, a new subscription service, was introduced in the United States. At the time, the service was primarily focused on providing live streaming of CBS programming from its local affiliates as well as on-demand access to CBS shows and library content.
In 2016, the service started to offer original programming, starting with CBS spin-offs like Big Brother, The Good Fight, and the newest Star Trek television series, Star Trek: Discovery. Additionally, the service started to penetrate new markets, such as Canada and Australia.
CBS merged back into Viacom in November 2019 to form ViacomCBS In 2020, the plan was announced that content from Viacom Media Networks brands and Paramount Pictures will be integrated into CBS All Access, and eventually relaunch the service to reflect its broader scope. It was formally revealed in September 2020 that the service would relaunch as Paramount+ in 2021, borrowing its name from the Paramount Pictures film studio.
ViacomCBS announced intentions to offer an extended international streaming service in 2021 using the CBS All Access technical architecture, but under the new Paramount+ name (revealed in September). In addition to Showtime and CBS All Access original programming, the service also offers extra material, such as Paramount Pictures movies, which may vary depending on the market.
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Additional markets would be added after the service’s first rollout in the Nordics and Latin America, where it would replace an existing service of the same name. All future Showtime original programming will be premiered on the relaunched service in Australia. However, currently broadcast series will continue on Stan until their conclusion as per an existing agreement.
The Paramount+ brand began as a subscription video-on-demand film service, initially in the Nordics in 2017 and then in Hungary, Latin America, and Russia over the following three years. This service preceded the current edition of Paramount+ in the Nordics and Latin America.
Showtime’s direct-to-consumer service was announced in September 2021 as part of a bundle with Paramount+. Showtime content would continue to be accessible through the Showtime app and website, but plans were made for Showtime content to be accessible through the Paramount+ applications for DTC subscribers later in 2022.
The transition went into effect in August 2022, with both services’ members able to upgrade to the combined “Paramount+ with Showtime” subscription.
What Can You Watch on Paramount+?
If you’re familiar with CBS All Access, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect from Paramount+. The service’s content is divided into on-demand (network series, originals, and movies) and live streaming (news and sports). The on-demand shows are available on all the channels owned by Paramount Global, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Smithsonian Channel.
If you sign up for a Paramount+ premium subscription through The Roku Channel, it allows you access to all of the VOD and programming available through Paramount+ on your Roku device, Android or iOS device, and also the internet.
Movies and Documentaries on Paramount+
The Paramount+ movie library now contains almost 2,500 films. This is a substantial boost from the approximately 700 movies it had when it first launched.
Internal Affairs, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade), Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, Star Trek (IV: The Voyage Home and Nemesis), Super 8, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, and Trainspotting are among the current titles available on the service.
All Paramount films will be exclusive to the service beginning in 2024.
The service also features new documentaries such as 76 Days, a documentary that shows how the COVID-19 pandemic began; Console Wars, a documentary about the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo; For Heaven’s Sake; and Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In, a biopic about the well-known former manager of Manchester United FC. Nature (courtesy of the Smithsonian Channel), and historical and political documentaries are also available.
Paramount+’s Sports and Live TV
Paramount+ is a new streaming service that offers sports fans access to live events, including NFL games, NBA games, and more. Live UEFA club competition matches, Europa League and World Cup qualifying matches, and other live matches will be available to international soccer fans.
Premium users have access to their local CBS broadcast station feeds, allowing them to view prime-time programs like 60 Minutes and CBS network series live as they air. CBSN is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to all subscribers.
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How Much Does Paramount+ Cost?
There is no difference in content options between signing up for Paramount+ through the Roku Channel and downloading the streamer’s standalone app on your streaming device. The price tiers for Paramount+ on the Roku Channel are also the same: $4.99 per month for the ad-supported version and $9.99 per month for the ad-free version.
However, there is a free seven-day trial of Paramount+ available on the Roku Channel, allowing customers who haven’t experienced the program to explore its contents.
How to subscribe to Paramount+ on The Roku Channel?
Users of The Roku Channel may now browse Paramount+ content and sign up for a free seven-day trial with a single click, with no additional apps or fees.
Only users who have signed up can access Paramount+ content from The Roku Channel. Users can read the full terms and sign up at The Roku Channel. You may also sign up straight through The Roku Channel on any Roku device or TV.
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