Showtime Anytime is shutting down on December 14, bringing an end to the ability to log in and access Showtime content using a live TV plan. The service and app is being shut down as part of the ongoing process to merge the Paramount+ and Showtime services into one.
Earlier this year, Paramount Global confirmed it was making some changes to its plans. For the Essential plan, this resulted in a $1 a month price increase, taking the cost up to $5.99 a month. When it came to the Premium plan, the changes were more substantial.
While the ad-free tier also incurred a price increase ($2 a month), it also gained access to the Showtime library. This change then resulted in the Premium plan being rebranded as the Paramount+ with Showtime plan.
Since then, Paramount Global has been slowly shutting down the standalone Showtime service. After already ending the option to sign up for a standalone subscription, Showtime has now confirmed that the Anytime app and service is closing down next month.
Showtime Anytime is ending, not your Showtime subscription
While the closure of the Showtime Anytime service will stop those subscribed to Showtime through a live TV package from accessing the app, it won’t result in the end of the Showtime subscription, as explained on the Showtime Anytime website.
“Showtime Anytime will shut down on 12/14/23. However, your subscription via your TV provider will remain active. Contact them to learn about other ways to watch Showtime.”
Showtime Anytime
Basically, this means these Showtime subscribers will soon only be able to access Showtime content (including the linear channels) directly through the live TV service’s own app.
Regardless of this change, it may actually be time for those Showtime subscribers to consider ending their Showtime subscription. While Paramount is continuing to support subscriptions through live TV providers for now, the writing is somewhat on the wall for Showtime.
In reality, switching over to Paramount+ will offer more content, and in most cases, for the same price. Take DirecTV Stream as an example. While DirecTV Stream charges $11.99 a month for Showtime, the Paramount+ with Showtime plan costs $11.99 a month, and not only unlocks access to the Showtime library but the Paramount+ catalog as well.
What’s more, if you decide that your current live TV provider is no longer working for you, you can easily switch live TV plans without having to worry about setting up another Showtime subscription through the provider you switch to.
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