Paramount+ gets June launch date

Paramount+ will officially launch in the UK and Ireland this June.

Formerly called CBS All-Access in the US, the Paramount streaming service combines series and movies across from brands and studios including SHOWTIME, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. After launching in the USA, it’s now landing on this side of the pond, with a 22nd June date now confirmed.

The line-up

The service will launch with a slate of more than 8,000 hours of programming and films, including the Star Trek universe, Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone, South Park and the MTV Shores, plus SpongeBob SquarePants, PAW Patrol and Rugrats.

Paramount+ originals that will be available at launch include HALO, The Offer, 1883, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Mayor of Kingstown, Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, The First Lady, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Queen of the Universe and Jerry & Marge Go Large.

Previously announced original UK dramas eventually heading to Paramount+ include Sexy Beast, A Gentleman in Moscow, Flatshare, The Burning Girls, The Ex-Wife and The Blue.

Paramount+ will also offer access to Paramount’s movie library, including with new releases such as Scream 5, classics such as Grease and Star Trek, and family friendly titles such as PAW Patrol: The Movie, Clifford The Big Red Dog and more.

How to get it

In the UK, Paramount+ will be available online at paramountplus.com and on mobile and a range of connected TV devices via the Paramount+ app, and via Apple, Amazon, Google, Roku and Samsung devices.

Paramount+ will also be available as an app within Sky’s platforms, as part of a multi-year partnership that includes Sky continuing to air Paramount’s portfolio of pay TV channels, such as Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon.

Sky Cinema subscribers will get the bonus of Paramount+ included at no extra cost, but other Sky customers will have to subscribe to Paramount+ as an add-on to their account. As we understand it, this free offer will also not apply to NOW Cinema subscribers, as Sky considers these separate from Sky customers. However, Paramount’s feature films will remain part of Sky Cinema for the foreseeable future, which means that NOW Cinema subscribers will still be able to watch the Paramount films that are included in the Sky Cinema library. The exact relationship between Paramount+ Original films and the distribution/syndication of Paramount’s wider film catalogue, and any windowing that might apply, has not yet been confirmed.

How much is it?

Paramount+ will cost £6.99 per month or £69.90 per year in the UK, with a free seven-day trial available for new customers. With only one tier of pricing currently announced, expect that to include support for 4K/UHD streaming, in a similar vein to Disney+.