Showtime's streaming service to launch on Roku and
Post# of 5282
Jun 8, 2015, 1:09pm PDT
Annlee Ellingson
L.A. Biz
Showtime’s new standalone streaming service is not just cheaper than HBO Now; it’s more widely available too.
Called simply Showtime, the service will be available in early July on Roku devices and TVs, and Sony PlayStation Vue. Showtime announced last week that its answer to HBO Go would launch on Apple devices, but the computer company does not have an exclusive like it did with HBO.
Showtime will cost $10.99 per month for both Roku and PlayStation subscribers. Consumers who sign up through Roku will get a free 30-day trial and be able to log on via Apple devices. Likewise, those who signed up through Apple will be to watch Showtime on Roku. But PlayStation Vue users won’t get the gratis preview or be able to switch between brands.
“Both platforms have distinct and loyal audiences, and together they will build on our service and greatly expand the number of homes that will have access to the Showtime service over the internet,” said Showtime chairman and CEO Matthew Blank in a statement. “This is fundamental to Showtime’s strategy of putting the choice in the hands of the consumers regarding how, when and on what unique devices they watch our programming.”
Roku has 7 million active accounts, and PlayStation claims 35 million PS3 and PS4 devices in the U.S., though its cloud-based TV service Vue is only available in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia for now. Showtime has 24 million subscribers through cable.
Showtime subscribers get live broadcasts of both East and West Coast feeds — something HBO Now doesn’t offer — as well as unlimited on-demand access to every season of Showtime’s original series and hundreds of hours of movies, documentaries and sports. The streaming service will go live in time for the July 12 season premieres of “Ray Donovan” and “Masters of Sex.”
HBO Now debuted exclusively on Apple but has since expanded to pay-TV provider Cablevision, OTT service Sling TV and, this summer, Android devices.
Showtime is a division of CBS (NYSE: CBS).
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