CBS parent company ViacomCBS today announced a significant expansion to its streaming service, CBS All Access. In addition to a new user interface across all major device platforms, CBS All Access is gaining more than 3,500 episodes of TV to improve its back catalog, as well as older movies.
This includes shows from channels like BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nikelodeon, Smithsonian Channel, TV Land, and movies from Paramount Pictures. The company also said that CBS All Access will continue to gain more shows and movies soon, with up to 30,000 episodes of TV and movies expected to be added in the months to come.
Some of the shows and films added in the most recent update include:
- BET: All seasons of “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” “Hit the Floor,” plus all prior seasons of “Single Ladies” and more
- Comedy Central: All seasons of “Chappelle’s Show,” “Strangers with Candy,” six prior seasons of “Reno 911!” and more
- MTV: All seasons of “Laguna Beach” and “Snooki & Jwoww,” prior seasons of TEEN MOM 2, seasons of JERSEY SHORE: FAMILY VACATION and MTV FLORIBAMA SHORE, as well as a selection from THE CHALLENGE, “Beavis and Butt-Head: The Mike Judge Collection” and more
- Nickelodeon: All seasons of “Avatar: Last Airbender,” “Rugrats,” plus all prior seasons of SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS and more, in addition to seasons of “Danny Phantom,” “The Legend of Korra” and “Sam & Cat” that were previously available
- Smithsonian Channel: More than 60 episodes of “Aerial America,” seasons of “Air Disasters,” documentaries such as “The Day We Walked on the Moon,” “The Green Book: Guide to Freedom,” “MLK: The Assassination Tapes,” “Pocahontas: Beyond the Myth” and more
- TV Land and VH1: Programming like “Hot in Cleveland,” as well as prior seasons of RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE and LOVE & HIP HOP and more
- Paramount Pictures: More films have been added to the service since May, including “The Firm,” “Charlotte’s Web” and “Scary Movie,” with more than 150 movies in total now available
In terms of the update, ViacomCBS said that the new user interface has enhanced personalization and discovery. This includes advanced recommendations, curated homepages, new content categories, and central hubs for various ViacomCBS brands. The update is rolling out today across all major device platforms, including iOS and tvOS.
Notably, today's updates appear to be the first step toward a rebranding for CBS All Access, which the company today announced is coming in early 2021. It's unclear in what way CBS All Access will be rebranded, but considering the increase of various other Viacom channels on the platform, the company could plan to drop the "CBS" name in favor of something more all-encompassing.
Network-exclusive streaming platforms continue to grow, with NBC's own Peacock service gaining 10 million subscribers since its launch earlier in the year. HBO has also streamlined its streaming services, rolling HBO GO into the new HBO Max service.
Top Rated Comments
We are seeing the predictions made by skeptics of cord cutting coming true. There are more and more subscription services coming online at various prices/mo. CBS All Access, Peacock, Hulu, Disney, Netflix, Apple TV+, HBO Max, Showtime, the list goes on. Then there are the live TV streaming services like Sling. Subscribing to more than a few of them quickly increases your monthly expenditures to the point of a cable/satellite subscription and one could easily wind paying more for cord cutting than traditional cable.
There is no doubt that a reckoning is coming, a shakeout, a consolidation frenzy with the big players buying up the field and we’ll be right back where we started.
IMO, CBS All Access is worth it just for the Star Trek content. And I'm too lazy to stop/start my subscription. At only $6/month, it's not such a large drain on me that it matters, though I 100% understand how others it would be.