Paramount+ is also going big with one of the more aggressive Black Friday streaming prices of the season, for first-time subscribers dropping both its Essential and Premium plans to $2.99 a month for the first two months. It’s a simple pitch: Dive deep into the library without worrying about committing long term or forking over significantly more than the standard monthly fee.
With streamers fighting for attention and budgets constricting, short-term promos like this one have become a chief acquisition tool. Research firm Antenna has said over and over again that November produces the biggest surge in U.S. sign-ups for subscription video, and the juiciest discounts are being piled into that window with greater regularity.
- What You Get for $2.99 on Essential and Premium Plans
- How It Stacks Up on Price Against Other Streamers
- What to Watch Now on Paramount+ and Showtime Highlights
- Essential or Premium: Which Paramount+ Plan Suits You
- Making the Most of It: Tips to Maximize Your Trial Period
- The Bottom Line: Is the $2.99 Paramount+ Deal Worth It?
What You Get for $2.99 on Essential and Premium Plans
The $2.99 cost is for new and returning subscribers to either plan, in the first two months of membership. After the promotional period, the plan goes to its regular monthly price unless you cancel. There are no contracts and you can change plans before renewal, whether you want to keep Showtime or get slimmed down with ads.
At a minimum, users must sign up for the ad-supported tier coupled with the core Paramount+ on-demand catalog. Premium includes access to the full Showtime library, ad-free viewing for most on-demand content, and download capabilities for offline viewing — plus 4K HDR (on compatible TVs) on select titles and your local CBS live stream. For sports fans, that CBS access is a key differentiator during NFL and college hoops windows.
The math, in terms of savings, tells a strong story. Essential, at $2.99, is about 63 percent off your even-lower-than-normal monthly fees, and the plunge for Premium can be as steep as 77 percent off! The latter is an uncommon path to accessing the Showtime catalog at a deep discount.
How It Stacks Up on Price Against Other Streamers
Streamers across the industry have been nudging up prices as they look to turn a profit. Ampere Analysis and Antenna have monitored a consistent series of list price hikes in major services over the last two years, and companies say there are still more moves they can make. Paramount Global has told investors that it intends to continue fine-tuning pricing as the service scales.
Against that backdrop, a $2.99 entry point stands out.
If you’ve been thinking of going to Premium in large part for Showtime and/or the ad-free viewing but hesitated because of how big a gap there is between it and Essential, I’d guess this is as small a delta as you’re gonna see when not bundling anything.
What to Watch Now on Paramount+ and Showtime Highlights
Paramount+ banks on a few pillars: big CBS franchises, Taylor Sheridan’s universe of originals, live sports and a deep library from Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. Think Survivor, Ghosts, NCIS, and the various Star Trek series, plus originals such as Halo, 1883, 1923, Mayor of Kingstown, and Landman. Premium folds in Showtime hits like Yellowjackets, The Chi, and Billions, plus an impressive documentary slate.
On the film side, a Paramount Pictures release will hit streaming after the theatrical window, which will help bulk up the service with new franchises and family-friendly fare. Sports coverage features UEFA Champions League and select European competitions through CBS Sports, and NFL on CBS via the Premium plan’s live, local CBS feed.
Essential or Premium: Which Paramount+ Plan Suits You
Opt for Essential if you are looking for the lowest price and can live with commercials. It’s a good choice for viewers who care most about catalog TV, Paramount+ originals, programming geared toward children and non-CBS live sports streams that are run through the app itself.
Go for Premium if you like Showtime, ad-free on-demand viewing, offline downloads and live CBS. That combo gets you the prestige TV, sports and event programming — all in one place, which is particularly attractive if your household juggles scripted series, Sunday NFL games and award ceremonies on broadcast.
Making the Most of It: Tips to Maximize Your Trial Period
- First, schedule a calendar reminder a few days before your second month is up so you can re-evaluate before the regular rate takes effect. If your intentions are to stick around, see if there’s an annual plan that comes with more favorable effective pricing, especially in advance of any potential increases.
- Second, build a focused watchlist. Queue up those Showtime must-watches, finally get through a season of an old CBS franchise you’re far behind on, pop on at least 10 minutes of a Paramount+ original that was never going to be your thing. Nielsen has demonstrated that completion rates increase when viewers select content rather than scroll through options, so this feature helps you squeeze out more value on a time budget.
- Finally, consider rotation. The research is Kantar’s Entertainment on Demand, which found that U.S. households subscribe to an average of approximately five streaming services and regularly swap them out based on what’s new. A $2.99 low-commitment offer is custom-made for those tactics: binge-watch what you want now, then stop or pivot if your queue deflates.
The Bottom Line: Is the $2.99 Paramount+ Deal Worth It?
At $2.99 a month, Paramount+ offers outsized value, especially on the Premium level with Showtime and live CBS. It’s a temporary price cut that undercuts wider market trends, and it is a timely addition whether you are catching up on Sheridan dramas, diving into Showtime series or lining up weekend sports. Just make sure you take care of your renewal — and relish the discount while it lasts.
