Interesting bundle: Paramount+ and Showtime

I saw a story online recently talking about a new bundle from Paramount+ and Showtime. Since both are from related companies this makes sense. Paramount+ is owned by ViacomCBS while Showtime is owned by CBS which is owned by ViacomCBS. Or something.

Anyway, the bundle, similar to the Disney Bundle (Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+), packages the two services, Paramount+ and Showtime, together for a discounted price. And it's a pretty good deal, at least during the initial promotional pricing.

I'm not sure how long this promotional price will last, but right now, you can get the Paramount+ and Showtime bundle for as low as $10/month. They say $9.99, but you and I think of that at $10. The bundle is either $10/month or $13/month. The reason is that Paramount+ has two plans. One is $5/month and the other is $10/month. Both get you a library of Paramount content, but the $10 plan doesn't have commercials, plus a live stream of your CBS local affiliate. Live streaming won't cut out commercials, just the on-demand content. Showtime doesn't have commercials anyway, so there's not complication by having to pick between two versions of Showtime.

So, $10/month gets you the $5 Paramount+ service, plus the $11 Showtime service.

Or, $13/month gets you the $10 Paramount+ service, plus the $11 Showtime service.

Either is a good deal. Now, how long this promotional price will last isn't clear. But it is the price right now. If you've been thinking about subscribing to Paramount+, or if you already subscribe to Showtime, this is really attractive.

For example, if you subscribe to Showtime already, you're paying $11/month. You can add Paramount+ lower plan, and your bill goes down $1/month. Or, add the Paramount+ big plan, and the bill only goes up $2/month. Even if you're happy with Showtime as is, and have no interest in Paramount+, you can still save $1/month by adding Paramount+ and just not watch it.

With CBS streaming football, both college and NFL, if you want to add Paramount+, you can pick up Showtime to go along with it for another $3/month. Paramount+ is $10/month for the plan that includes local CBS live streaming, and the corresponding bundle throws in Showtime for another $3.

Something to think about. And, despite my determination to keep my streaming costs down, it's something I'm thinking about. My Streaming Life may be about to cost me more, but it just might be worth it.