Paramount+ is most likely to be worth it if you follow the sports it carries, such as NFL on CBS, the UEFA Champions League or UFC, or you want CBS shows and Showtime series in one place. Essential costs $8.99 a month with ads and Premium costs $13.99. Only Premium includes your local CBS station live and Showtime's full library. If you want it for part of the year, pay monthly, since the annual plan only saves money if you'd keep it for more than about ten months.
What Paramount+ costs
- Essential (with ads): $8.99 a month or $89.99 a year.
- Premium: $13.99 a month or $139.99 a year.
These prices took effect for new subscribers on January 15, 2026, and Paramount says existing subscribers get an email 30 days before an increase applies to them. Paramount's terms allow free trials for new subscribers, one per person, with the length shown at sign-up, but a standard trial isn't always offered.
What both plans include
Both plans include more than 40,000 episodes and movies on demand, Paramount+ originals, CBS News 24/7, CBS Sports HQ, 20 live channels and up to six profiles. Each plan streams on up to three devices at once.
Sports are a big part of the case for Paramount+. Both plans include NFL on CBS, the UEFA Champions League, UFC and Zuffa Boxing, with Essential getting the NFL and Champions League games through separate live feeds. Which NFL games you can watch depends on your market. Paramount+ says every numbered UFC event and Fight Night streams live with the subscription, with no extra pay-per-view charge.
What Premium adds
- Your live local CBS station, which brings extra CBS sports such as WNBA on CBS, golf and Big Ten football.
- All of Showtime on the service, plus the live Showtime East and West feeds. Essential gets only selected Showtime series.
- No ad breaks in on-demand shows and movies. Paramount+ promos still appear, and live programming has ad breaks on both plans.
- 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR10 and Dolby Atmos on supported titles and devices.
- Downloads on phones and tablets, up to 25 titles at a time. Essential has no downloads.
Other ways to get it
Walmart+ includes Paramount+ Essential at no extra cost, with an upgrade to Premium for $5.49 more a month. Some TV providers, such as DIRECTV, Spectrum and Cox, include Paramount+ Premium for customers who have their Paramount+ with Showtime channel package. Since BET+ closed as a separate service, BET shows stream in a BET hub on Paramount+.
The catches
- Essential leaves out your local CBS station: it carries NFL on CBS games through separate feeds, but not the station's live feed around the clock.
- Ads don't fully go away: even Premium shows Paramount+ promos and trailers, and live content keeps its ad breaks.
- Annual plans lock you in: cancelling ends the plan at the close of the period you paid for, and Paramount's terms say fees already paid generally aren't refunded.
Cancelling
If you subscribed on the website, a smart TV or a console, sign in at paramountplus.com, open Account and choose Cancel subscription. If you pay through Apple, Google Play, Amazon or Roku, cancel there instead. For the full steps, see our guide on how to cancel Paramount+.
Who should skip it
If you don't follow the NFL, soccer or UFC and don't watch CBS or Showtime series, the library alone is a weaker reason to pay. If you have Walmart+, check its Paramount+ Essential benefit before paying for a separate subscription.
