CBS All Access is no more, and Paramount +, the latest service to join the streaming fray as a paid subscription offer, has emerged in its place. But Paramount + also comes at a difficult time for smaller services, which are competing – admit it or not – against much bigger giants like Disney + and Netflix. So, where does Paramount + fit in and is it worth it?
This probably depends on the perceived value of the individual viewer, which in many ways is the same question to be asked of all paid content services. But, especially with regard to Paramount +, it is entering a space that is already full of services that cater to almost every niche of interest. It also decided to launch without a free advertising tier, which could have helped to attract unsure subscribers and which NBCUniversal executives chose to include with the rival service Peacock during launch. For current CBS All Access customers – perhaps surrounding fans of CBS’s broadcast schedule or its huge treasure trove of Star Trek content—The value in Paramount + can be more content for the same price. For everyone else, however, I wonder if the fanfare will be enough to lure them into a new service and potentially far from those they already enjoy.
First, let’s clarify what Paramount + really is. This new streaming service is basically CBS All Access, plus more from ViacomCBS. After a 30-day free trial, it will cost $ 10 a month for a premium tier that removes ads from titles on demand, but not from the linear feed, plus additional live sports and live CBS news coverage. In June, Paramount + will show a reduced and ad-supported level for $ 5 a month. Surprisingly, at launch, prices will remain the same as for CBS All Access with a $ 6 plan that includes limited commercials. This option will no longer be available when the new layer is released in June; however, CBS All Access subscribers who have been purchased may remain on that plan if they so wish.
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At Paramount +, you’ll find content hubs from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and the Smithsonian Channel, although the content on those channels originally appeared on CBS All Access last year. The company also started to expand its children-oriented content at the end of 2020 with more Nick Jr. stuff and new features. In other words, CBS All Access had been building many of the foundations for Paramount + before its launch. What’s new and specific to the service at launch is its originals – five, including 60 minutes +, For God’s sake, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob Minors, The Real World Homecoming: New York, and The SpongeBob movie: Sponge on the Run– as well as an expanded library of episodes from hit series and movies that include The aviator, Mindhunters, Mission Impossible movies and Gone, the baby is gone.
Paramount + definitely seems like a key point for ViacomCBS assets, rather than a single, cohesive product with a strong identity. The service describes itself as a “premium entertainment home for the whole family”, but the collection of channels here – much like those brought together to create HBO Max– it seems a little strange. Make no mistake: there is a lot to watch. The service has more than 30,000 episodes of shows and dozens of films to broadcast at launch. But it was not clear to me who this product is really trying to serve, only that it has more features than CBS All Access.
The organization of these brands in the service also seemed a little strange, although I found the mobile experience easier to navigate than Paramount + on the desktop. All of your content centers appear in a row under a featured content carousel. At the top of the page, you will find guides for programs, films, live TV, “brands” and news. Much like Netflix and other services, you’ll find categories on the home page for things like Programs Recommended for You, Keep Watching, Trends and Originals, among others. But clicking on individual “brand” pages seems like a crapshoot – everything just appears as a single catalog of titles. At least, on the pages of programs and films, navigation is organized in alphabetical order.
It is possible that the service will introduce more subcategories of content within these brand pages as it adjusts your product, but on launch day, it seemed that you had better know exactly what you were looking for or be ready to scroll through many titles to find something to watch. Navigation on this service is made difficult by the absence of any formal watch list, which may have helped users to navigate content more easily, checking interesting titles while browsing.
At launch, Paramount + is available for desktop, iOS and Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Apple TV channels, Chromecast, Facebook Portal, Fire TV, LG Smart TVs, PlayStation 4, Prime Video Channels, Roku, Samsung TVs, Vizio Smartcast TVs and Xbox devices. The service is “coming soon” for PlayStation 5, a confirmed spokesman for Gizmodo. Paramount + will offer up to six user profiles, but will be limited to three simultaneous streams. The service announced that some series and films were available in 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision, but a spokesman told Gizmodo that the content is limited to the original Paramount + and some content from the Smithsonian Channel.
Presumably, as the service continues to grow, it will bring more options to people who were already indifferent to CBS All Access. Two of the biggest releases this year, A peaceful place, part II and Mission: Impossible 7, will go to service month and a half after leaving theaters, which can be an attractive potential for new subscribers. Paramount + will also be home to all the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League games and will include coverage of this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship I. Thirty-six exclusive originals will arrive in service in 2021 – another potential attraction for subscribers when they make their debut.
But on launch day, Paramount + looked a little normal when compared to its streaming peers. The blame may not be less from ViacomCBS, as it is a product of the large number of services we now have to choose from, and Paramount + arrived a little late for the party. Again, I think there is absolutely value in this service for longtime fans of CBS programming, especially for those whose families include children. But in addition to bringing more shiny new offers to the table, Paramount + may have trouble convincing new subscribers that it can be great.