Paramount Global is in early discussions about the possibility of shutting down Showtime as a standalone service. If Paramount executives decide to move forward with the decision, Showtime’s slate of premium content will move to the company’s flagship streamer, Paramount+, according to the Wall Street Journal.
There are no imminent changes currently being considered for the Showtime brand. However, Variety is reporting that the media conglomerate is considering the prospect of combining Paramount+ and Showtime as part of long-term discussions with distributors.
The discussions surrounding the possibility of merging Showtime with Paramount+ comes after Showtime programming has already begun being offered on Paramount+ in some international markets.
SkyShowtime, a joint venture between Comcast and Paramount Global, is also set to launch in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden next week. The partnership will then expand into the Netherlands in Q4.
Paramount hasn’t yet directly addressed whether Showtime will continue to exist as a separate service for the long-term. “We are always exploring options to maximize the value of our content investment by giving consumers access to great Paramount content through an array of services and platforms,” a company representative said in a statement to Variety.
The report from the Wall Street Journal comes less than a month after Paramount combined Paramount+ and Showtime into a single service. The merger allows subscribers to access content from both streamers in one place.
Showtime has garnered critical acclaim and commercial success in recent years with such popular shows as Billions, Yellowjackets and Dexter: New Blood. During the upcoming fall season, the premium network is set to premiere such series as American Gigolo and Let the Right One In. Its returning shows include Your Honor and The L Word: Generation Q.
Paramount+ is currently streaming such popular series as 1883, Halo, Star Trek: Discovery and Secret Headquarters. The streamer’s upcoming fall original shows include Tulsa King, On the Come Up, Criminal Minds, Wolf Pack and 1923. Its returning series include The Good Fight and Seal Team.
While announcing its Q2 earnings, Paramount said that Paramount+ now has 43.3 million paid customers, a net addition of 3.7 million for the June quarter. The company’s total worldwide streaming subscribers reached 63.7 million in the second quarter, a gain of 1.7 million.
Paramount doesn’t break out the number of subscribers for Showtime or its other direct-to-consumer services. But Showtime’s streaming subscriber numbers have reportedly more than tripled over the last three years.
Paramount+ is available in two tiers: the ad-supported Essential Plan, which costs $4.99 per month, which excludes access to livestreams from CBS local affiliates. There’s also the ad-free Premium Plan, which costs $9.99 per month. Showtime, as a standalone streaming service, costs $10.99 per month.
The regular U.S. pricing for the Paramount+/Showtime bundle is $11.99 per month for the Essential tier. The Premium tier costs $14.99 per month.
Paramount Global’s discussions to possibly merge Showtime with Paramount+ comes as Warner Bros Discovery is working to bring HBO Max and Discovery+ together into a single app. Disney’s three-part bundle of Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu has also seen success since its launch in 2020.