Paramount+ Review

Paramount+ has two plans: one with commercials and one with no commercials at all.

Of course we recommend spending $6 more for no interruptions during your Tulsa King marathon, but it's nice that Paramount+ gives you a cheap option just in case it fits better in your budget.

And here's a bonus: if you pay for a $120 annual membership upfront, you'll save $24. If you're a student, take advantage of that 25% off student discount.

The Paramount+ Essential plan is for the money savers at only $8 per month. With this plan, you'll get access to all of Paramount+'s library, but you'll have to stick through some ads while you stream. 

For example, while we were streaming the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery, there were five commercial breaks.

We’d say paying that extra $6 per month will be worth avoiding these ads because those ads can really add up when you're trying to binge ten episodes of your fave TV show. (That means 50 commercial breaks, ugh.)

When you upgrade, you'll also be able to watch your local CBS channel live!

The other Paramount+ plan, Paramount+ With Showtime, is just $6 more than the Essential plan. You'll get access to Showtime's library, and you will find that you won't have to sit through Apple or Samsung commercials. 

If you ask us, it's worth spending those extra few dollars to get a lot more content and avoid those pesky interruptions. But we recommend jumping on the free trial to see if you don't mind the ads before committing. 

Keep in mind that if you do get the Paramount+ With Showtime plan, you cannot skip the ads when you watch live TV on Paramount+ (like your local CBS channel). There’s just no way of escaping commercials on live TV. It’s just the nature of the live TV beast—and it’s the same with every other live TV streaming competitor.

Paramount+ is the answer to any classic TV fanatic's prayers. For the price of a cup of coffee, you get access to live TV channels, popular TV shows, classic TV shows, original content, and on-demand movies.

You can watch some Sunday morning and afternoon NFL football games on Paramount+ with your family on your smart TV, on your smartphone while waiting for your Lyft, or on your tablet while you're running on the treadmill.

Paramount+ includes six different types of programming, including:

• Live TV channels (local, news, and live sports)
• Episodes of current CBS network shows (Big Brother, Love Island, Ghosts, and Neighborhood)
• Episodes of classic CBS shows (The Brady Bunch, Cheers, and Frasier)
• BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Smithsonian Channel TV series and movies (Ridiculousness, Tosh.O, and Spongebob Square Pants)
• Original programming (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, The Offer, 1883, and Seal Team)
• On-demand movies (The Godfather, Paw Patrol: The Movie, Scream, and Grease)

Paramount+ promises 40,000 TV show episodes and movies.

Similar to Hulu, Paramount+ releases recently-aired TV shows to its platform the following day. 

So when FBI: Most Wanted airs on Tuesday night, you can expect the episode to be on this streaming platform on Wednesday.

Paramount+ gives you access to watch live television with your Paramount+ With Showtime subscription! You don't even have to pay an extra fee or sign in with your existing TV provider.

You can watch CBS (local station), CBSN (24/7 news), CBS Sports HQ, and ET Live.

Paramount's live channels are available in 99% of the US! You won't know if you're in that 1% until you have a subscription, so make sure you double-check to see if you live in one of those areas during your free trial.

Paramount+ sports is a great filler or substitution if you don't have access to live TV channels. You can watch college football, NFL, and soccer with this streaming service. 

Click the Sports tab at the top of your home screen, and you'll get access to the following:

With Paramount+, you'll be able to stream any NFL game that is airing on your local CBS channel. For the 2024 season, this means you get to watch the early and late afternoon Sunday games every weekend. 

So make sure you get the $13 Paramount+ With Showtime plan to stream 36 NFL games during the regular season. 

CBS SPORTS HQ is actually a combination of CBS Sports, CBSSports.com, 247Sports, SportsLine, CBS Sports Fantasy and MaxPreps. It’s a sports network with live news and reporting, game previews and post-game analysis, must-see highlights, projections, and in-depth statistical breakdowns.

If you want to stream the Barcelona or Chelsea game while you're on the train, you can easily pull the UEFA Champions League game up on the Paramount+ app.

And you can share your account with two other people as you can have three simultaneous streams. So you, your spouse, and your son who is away at college can watch CBS Sports at the same time.

You can watch Paramount+ on any of these streaming devices:

You can't expect too much with an inexpensive streaming service, and Paramount+ does come with pretty standard features.

You get three simultaneous streams, 1080p maximum resolution, and playback options for on-demand content.

Should you go for Paramount+, or is another streaming service better? Great question. Honestly, it depends on what you want out of it.

If you want access to your favorite CBS, MTV, and Comedy Central shows, and access to CBS news as well as sports aired on CBS, $8–$13 per month is almost nothing. 

If you want access to a high number of live TV channels, a wide range of TV shows, movies, premium channels, and original content, you might want to check out the best live TV streaming services or on-demand streaming services.

If you live for CBS dramas, like the snarky back-and-forth commentary between McGarrett and Danno on Hawaii Five-0, or if you need a daily dose of NCIS (how does Gibbs fit that boat in his basement, anyway?), Paramount+ is a dream come true at a great price.

You'll also get access to Paramount Pictures movies, and a library of TV series from networks like BET, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and the Smithsonian Channel.

If you’re looking for more channels, check out our top live TV streaming services. If you're looking for more on-demand content, check out our top on-demand streaming services.

Already have Paramount+ and need some help? What to do if it's not working.