ViacomCBS is set to launch a discounted $4.99-a-month version of Paramount Plus featuring limited advertising on June 7.
The new iteration will replace the $5.99 "Limited Commercials" version of the SVOD service, which was essentially a holdover of the legacy CBS All Access platform. Besides being slightly cheaper than the Limited Commercials, the new "Essential Plan" doesn't include a live feed from the user's local CBS station.
Those who sign up for Limited Commercials ahead of June 7 will be able to keep their legacy plan, but ViacomCBS will stop selling it after that date.
The conglomerate outlines the new iteration on this FAQ.
Essential Plan users can stream more than 30,000 movies, TV episodes and original shows on demand with "limited commercials," ViacomCBS said. They can also stream "NFL on CBS" football games and Champions League soccer matches, live. They also get live 24/7 access to national news on CBSN.
The regular $9.99 a month version of Paramount Plus remains ad-free. And users can only download content for offline viewing via this tier.
The Essential Plan launch comes only a few days after WarnerMedia deployed a $9.99 limited commercials version of HBO Max.
Based largely on legacy CBS All Access user base, ViacomCBS said it finished the first quarter with 36 million subscription streaming customers.
