Paramount Plus with Showtime is getting a rebrand

“Paramount Plus with Showtime” has ever been 1 of the much awkward bits of branding to travel retired of the streaming era, but soon subscribers volition cognize the tier by different name.

This week Paramount informed Paramount Plus subscribers that Paramount Plus with Showtime — the platform’s astir costly tier that features Showtime programming and minimal ads — volition present beryllium referred to arsenic “Paramount Plus Premium.” The renamed tier volition inactive outgo $12.99 per period oregon $119.99 per year. Paramount Plus Premium volition besides inactive connection Showtime’s bid and catalog of films, but it won’t diagnostic the TV network’s name.

“Since we precocious introduced a sampling of Showtime programming to the Essential plan, the Premium program sanction reflects the wide and divers offerings crossed some program tiers,” Paramount said in a enactment post astir the caller tier name. “Showtime programming remains an important portion of Paramount+, and is inactive prominently represented connected the service!”

The clunkiness of the “Paramount Plus with Showtime” branding felt similar a reflection of the rockiness that marked Showtime’s integration into Paramount Plus and the consequent shutdown of Showtime’s standalone streaming service. Paramount executives warned employees astir imaginable layoffs aft CEO Bob Bakish first announced plans for a merger with Showtime backmost successful 2023. Several Showtime bid were cancelled oregon halted arsenic a effect of the deal, and by the pursuing year, the caller work had already gone done 2 terms hikes.

As beardown arsenic the Showtime marque is, “Paramount Plus Premium” is decidedly a amended name. That said, coming truthful soon aft Warner Bros. Discovery’s caller determination to pivot backmost to HBO Max, Paramount’s latest determination feels precise overmuch similar a effect to the competition. None of america ever called it “Max, the 1 to watch,” and WBD was close to halt trying to marque that happen. But it’s a small chaotic to spot Paramount downplaying its transportation to 1 of the networks that truly helped bring cablegram TV into its own.