Paramount Plus is not a must have

Formerly known as CBS All Access, Paramount Plus is not worth paying for another streaming service.

Opinion by Elvin Gonzalez, Staff Writer

Consumers should hold out on subscribing to Paramount Plus and wait until fresh content arrives later this year instead of paying for shows that they might have already watched.

The new streaming service offers shows that are not necessarily new, but old television shows and cartoons that will make ‘90s babies feel nostalgic. There are a lot of shows on Paramount Plus that can be found on other streaming platforms shows such as “Star Trek” and “Blue Bloods,” which are both available on Hulu.

Paramount Plus launched on March 4, offering live news and sports within the app, so sports fans can watch any sport such as the PGA Tour, college basketball and other events. The price for the new streaming service starts at $6 with advertisements, $10 without advertisements, or if the consumer wants to pay for the year it is $120 annually (without advertisements). It also plans to release a $5 plan (with advertisements) that will not come with CBS live streaming. If people are not sure about the app — which contains networks such as MTV, BET, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central — they can take advantage of the 30-day free trial. This gives the consumer a chance to get a feel for the service and determine if it is worth the monthly subscription.

The streaming service is a lot like its competitor that released just last spring, Peacock, which offers the same type of services with its exclusive NBC Universal tv shows and live sporting events, starting at $5 with advertisements and $10 without advertisements. Even though Paramount Plus is trying to make it affordable for consumers to watch tv shows and live broadcasting events, the consumer can save money by watching their local CBS channel and other streaming applications which have the same shows available for free.

Their exclusive show such as the new television show “Halo” (based on a video game series) will not be available until the first quarter of 2022, after being pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to PC Gamer. There are exclusive shows like “SpongeBob Camp Coral'' and the new movie, “SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,” which were intended to be released last spring in theaters. It was pushed back due to the ongoing pandemic, but is now an attention getter for the service.

When the streaming service Disney Plus debuted in November 2019, it came with exclusive television shows. Unlike Disney Plus, most of the shows on Paramount’s service were available before the rebranding from CBS All Access to Paramount Plus. Despite being affordable, the streaming service lacks new and exclusive films and television shows.