Paramount+ with Showtime $11.99 price bump starts to hit viewers

AppleInsider

Subscribers of Paramount+ who were on the old Showtime and CBS All Access bundle are being warned of a price rise, with the monthly cost increasing to $11.99 as subscriptions renew.

Paramount+ and Showtime merged on June 27 into a single service called Paramount+ With Showtime, with subscribers carried over to the service kept under the existing pricing structure at first. Now, those users are having to pay a bit more.

Previously, customers who were under the original Showtime and CBS All Access package, before the latter became Paramount+, were charged $9.99 per month via the iOS app In-App Payment system.

Emails sent to those same users by Apple are warning of a subscription price increase, with the cost going up from $9.99 per month to $11.99 per month. The email warns when the renewal at the higher price will take place, unless customers cancel at least one day before.

Paramount+ did previously indicate the prices were going up for subscribers. The emails about the renewal rate are being sent when each account is a month away from the next payment at the higher rate.

The price rise actually brings the old package in line with the current offering's pricing of $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year for the ad-supported version, or $14.99 per month for an ad-free tier.

While more expensive, the package is still a good deal for consumers. At $11.99, it's just $1 more than paying for Showtime alone, while Paramount+ as a standalone option costs $4.99 per month with ads, $9.99 per month without.

Read on AppleInsider

jbdragon

That is funny how it says Apple is raising the price of the subscription from $9.99 to $11.99.  HAHAHA

Apple is doing no such thing.  Paramount+ is raising its own rates.

StrangeDays

Paramount+ is user hostile — despite paying for ad-free, they insist on forcing you to watch two unskippable ads in the pre-roll. (promos for their own crap) Why on earth they don’t allow them to be skipped is beyond me, I’ve seen the same damn ads dozens of times

22july2013

StrangeDays said:

Paramount+ is user hostile — despite paying for ad-free, they insist on forcing you to watch two unskippable ads in the pre-roll. (promos for their own crap) Why on earth they don’t allow them to be skipped is beyond me, I’ve seen the same damn ads dozens of times

I would dump Paramount (again) if they did that now.

Here are other horrible practices (not picking on Paramount here):

• Unskippable ads when you start playing a DVD that you paid for.
• DVDs which you bought that start you off by saying "accessing downloadable content". So you can't watch your own DVD without an internet connection? And you have to pay for their internet connection? Are they tracking your views?
• Anti-piracy warnings that you still have to watch even though you legally bought the media.
• Paying Google over $100/year for "commercial free youtube videos" then having to watch two minute promo ads included inside the video itself. And to add insult to injury, Google itself warns you that the video contains promotional material. So isn't that false advertising by Google?
• If I am watching a Blu-ray DVD on a Blu-ray device, why are do I sometimes need to see some promos touting "the magic of blu-ray?" Don't I already own the hardware?

P.S. At least when using the Apple TV app on macOS, it is possible for software to press the skip button on the recaps and previews. Thanks for giving me the idea to write that software. It should take five minutes to write that.

P.S. If Paramount wanted to make money, they could charge an extra $1/month to let users skip the ads. I would probably pay for that.

22july2013

jbdragon said:

That is funny how it says Apple is raising the price of the subscription from $9.99 to $11.99.  HAHAHA
Apple is doing no such thing.  Paramount+ is raising its own rates.

I wonder how it's worded for those users who subscribe to Paramount+ directly through Paramount rather than through Apple TV.

To be fair, it is Apple that's collecting the fee for Paramount if you are paying through the Apple TV and/or Apple TV app. So I have no issue with that wording. I once subscribed to Paramount+ but only through the Apple TV app for the extra privacy it gave me. Privacy is worth $$$. Companies like Paramount are counting on the idea that consumers are stupid and don't care about privacy. Maybe most consumers are stupid. For now.

StrangeDays

22july2013 said:

StrangeDays said:

Paramount+ is user hostile — despite paying for ad-free, they insist on forcing you to watch two unskippable ads in the pre-roll. (promos for their own crap) Why on earth they don’t allow them to be skipped is beyond me, I’ve seen the same damn ads dozens of times

I would dump Paramount (again) if they did that now.

Here are other horrible practices (not picking on Paramount here):

• Unskippable ads when you start playing a DVD that you paid for.
• DVDs which you bought that start you off by saying "accessing downloadable content". So you can't watch your own DVD without an internet connection? And you have to pay for their internet connection? Are they tracking your views?
• Anti-piracy warnings that you still have to watch even though you legally bought the media.
• Paying Google over $100/year for "commercial free youtube videos" then having to watch two minute promo ads included inside the video itself. And to add insult to injury, Google itself warns you that the video contains promotional material. So isn't that false advertising by Google?
• If I am watching a Blu-ray DVD on a Blu-ray device, why are do I sometimes need to see some promos touting "the magic of blu-ray?" Don't I already own the hardware?

P.S. At least when using the Apple TV app on macOS, it is possible for software to press the skip button on the recaps and previews. Thanks for giving me the idea to write that software. It should take five minutes to write that.

P.S. If Paramount wanted to make money, they could charge an extra $1/month to let users skip the ads. I would probably pay for that.

I already paid for the ad-free tier. Paying another hike on top of that to *really* not see ads is not acceptable. 

22july2013

StrangeDays said:

22july2013 said:

StrangeDays said:

Paramount+ is user hostile — despite paying for ad-free, they insist on forcing you to watch two unskippable ads in the pre-roll. (promos for their own crap) Why on earth they don’t allow them to be skipped is beyond me, I’ve seen the same damn ads dozens of times

I would dump Paramount (again) if they did that now.

Here are other horrible practices (not picking on Paramount here):

• Unskippable ads when you start playing a DVD that you paid for.
• DVDs which you bought that start you off by saying "accessing downloadable content". So you can't watch your own DVD without an internet connection? And you have to pay for their internet connection? Are they tracking your views?
• Anti-piracy warnings that you still have to watch even though you legally bought the media.
• Paying Google over $100/year for "commercial free youtube videos" then having to watch two minute promo ads included inside the video itself. And to add insult to injury, Google itself warns you that the video contains promotional material. So isn't that false advertising by Google?
• If I am watching a Blu-ray DVD on a Blu-ray device, why are do I sometimes need to see some promos touting "the magic of blu-ray?" Don't I already own the hardware?

P.S. At least when using the Apple TV app on macOS, it is possible for software to press the skip button on the recaps and previews. Thanks for giving me the idea to write that software. It should take five minutes to write that.

P.S. If Paramount wanted to make money, they could charge an extra $1/month to let users skip the ads. I would probably pay for that.

I already paid for the ad-free tier. Paying another hike on top of that to *really* not see ads is not acceptable. 

I was asking for the option of paying $1/month more. I didn't want it mandatory. Maybe I wasn't clear. You wouldn't have to pay for it.

M68000

As a cord cutter, i find streaming services offer tremendous value.  I have ovet the air TV for local channels and streaming services.  The ability to watch things on demand and commercial free is great.   The extra cost of commercial free is worth it to me.  I really enjoy what Paramount plus offers and it’s better now with Showtime included.   Plenty of classic shows,  newer and old movies along with some good original series.  In addition,  plenty of soccer from different leagues and now boxing with Showtime.   All that for $12 a month is great value to me.

smartburro

I bought a year subscription to commercial free Paramount+ last December for $50. Even though it’s supposed to be commercial free it isn’t all the time. Usually when I watch an episode of a popular recently released show for the first time there ends up being commercials throughout the episode. For example, episode 1 of 1923 had over a dozen commercials in it. Some of the Rabbit Hole episodes had commercials before them and I also couldn’t pause the show, skip forward/back, or stop the show and return to the same spot later. Every single time it sent me back to the beginning of the episode. The only reason I even continue to watch anything on Paramount+ is I’m a fan of all the Taylor Sheridan shows. That said, I will never pay $11.99-$14.99/mo for Paramount+. So after my promo year is up it looks like I’ll just have to use other ways to watch the shows from Paramount that I actually care about. There aren’t many so it shouldn’t be too difficult. 

StrangeDays

22july2013 said:

StrangeDays said:

22july2013 said:

StrangeDays said:

Paramount+ is user hostile — despite paying for ad-free, they insist on forcing you to watch two unskippable ads in the pre-roll. (promos for their own crap) Why on earth they don’t allow them to be skipped is beyond me, I’ve seen the same damn ads dozens of times

I would dump Paramount (again) if they did that now.

Here are other horrible practices (not picking on Paramount here):

• Unskippable ads when you start playing a DVD that you paid for.
• DVDs which you bought that start you off by saying "accessing downloadable content". So you can't watch your own DVD without an internet connection? And you have to pay for their internet connection? Are they tracking your views?
• Anti-piracy warnings that you still have to watch even though you legally bought the media.
• Paying Google over $100/year for "commercial free youtube videos" then having to watch two minute promo ads included inside the video itself. And to add insult to injury, Google itself warns you that the video contains promotional material. So isn't that false advertising by Google?
• If I am watching a Blu-ray DVD on a Blu-ray device, why are do I sometimes need to see some promos touting "the magic of blu-ray?" Don't I already own the hardware?

P.S. At least when using the Apple TV app on macOS, it is possible for software to press the skip button on the recaps and previews. Thanks for giving me the idea to write that software. It should take five minutes to write that.

P.S. If Paramount wanted to make money, they could charge an extra $1/month to let users skip the ads. I would probably pay for that.

I already paid for the ad-free tier. Paying another hike on top of that to *really* not see ads is not acceptable. 

I was asking for the option of paying $1/month more. I didn't want it mandatory. Maybe I wasn't clear. You wouldn't have to pay for it.

Again, that makes no sense. Not having ads is literally the existing selling point of the existing ad-free tier. 

22july2013

StrangeDays said:

22july2013 said:

StrangeDays said:

22july2013 said:

StrangeDays said:

Paramount+ is user hostile — despite paying for ad-free, they insist on forcing you to watch two unskippable ads in the pre-roll. (promos for their own crap) Why on earth they don’t allow them to be skipped is beyond me, I’ve seen the same damn ads dozens of times

I would dump Paramount (again) if they did that now.

Here are other horrible practices (not picking on Paramount here):

• Unskippable ads when you start playing a DVD that you paid for.
• DVDs which you bought that start you off by saying "accessing downloadable content". So you can't watch your own DVD without an internet connection? And you have to pay for their internet connection? Are they tracking your views?
• Anti-piracy warnings that you still have to watch even though you legally bought the media.
• Paying Google over $100/year for "commercial free youtube videos" then having to watch two minute promo ads included inside the video itself. And to add insult to injury, Google itself warns you that the video contains promotional material. So isn't that false advertising by Google?
• If I am watching a Blu-ray DVD on a Blu-ray device, why are do I sometimes need to see some promos touting "the magic of blu-ray?" Don't I already own the hardware?

P.S. At least when using the Apple TV app on macOS, it is possible for software to press the skip button on the recaps and previews. Thanks for giving me the idea to write that software. It should take five minutes to write that.

P.S. If Paramount wanted to make money, they could charge an extra $1/month to let users skip the ads. I would probably pay for that.

I already paid for the ad-free tier. Paying another hike on top of that to *really* not see ads is not acceptable. 

I was asking for the option of paying $1/month more. I didn't want it mandatory. Maybe I wasn't clear. You wouldn't have to pay for it.

Again, that makes no sense. Not having ads is literally the existing selling point of the existing ad-free tier. 

The existing ad-free tier, as you call it, is not ad-free, as you admitted. I just want the choice of paying $1 more for removing the ads, and you are like the Paramount+ executives who don't want to take my money. How does more money for Paramount not make sense to you or to them?

chasm

Okay, some of you need some additional vocabulary:

Promotions — self-promotion spots from the service promoting its own stuff. THESE ARE NOT ADS, at least by the definition of your streamer service provider.

Commercials — ads from other vendors/services/stuff. Like you got on commercial TV, which is why it’s called that.

Ad-free refers to COMMERCIALS, not self-promotion spots. So your ad-free tier, on pretty much any streaming service, will include promotions for other parts of the same service. Apple TV and all the other services do this routinely, though at least Apple TV lets you skip them. Classy.

HTH.

MustSeeUHDTV

I have the annual ad free pass which just renewed in March. I used Appleinsider’s code to get 50% off. Then when paramount stated they would be converting over to add Showtime, it said nothing about people that had already paid the annual pass. After couple of tries with support, I got told that Showtime will be included and I would not have to pay anything extra until my annual renewal next year.

…..still haven’t watched any Showtime.