CBS Corp. revealed its anticipated plan to deliver Showtime in an a la carte, streaming product, announcing a July launch date and $10.99-a-month price tag for the upcoming over-the-top programming service.
CBS said the service will initially only be available on Apple phone and TV devices. That's the same tactic HBO used in its recent launch of its OTT HBO Now service.
The Showtime service will be timed to the July 12 premieres of original Showtime series Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex. It's a similar strategy to the one Time Warner Inc. deployed in April, when it connected the launch of HBO Now to the season premiere of Game of Thrones.
Showtime's OTT service will initially be available on Apple's family of devices.
"Going over-the-top means Showtime will be much more accessible to tens of millions of potential new subscribers," said CBS Corp. President and CEO Leslie Moonves in a statement. "Across CBS, we are constantly finding new ways to monetize our programming by capitalizing on opportunities presented by technology. This works best when you have outstanding premium content--like we do at Showtime--and when you have a terrific partner like Apple--which continues to innovate and build upon its loyal customer base."
CBS has already made several major OTT plays, launching in October the $6-a-month CBS All Access, a subscription service that streams most CBS programming without the need for a pay-TV subscription or over-the-air antenna.
For more:
- see this CBS release
- read this Variety story
- read this Adweek story
Related links:
Comcast extends HBO Go, Showtime Anytime TVE access to Amazon devices
Moonves: There's a 'strong possibility' that Showtime will go a la carte
CBS' Ianniello: 'Nothing in Showtime's pay-TV contracts says we can't go OTT'