In the wake of the news that HBO would offer a stand-alone HBO streaming service with no cable subscription required, CBS too has announced plans for an on-demand streaming service of its own.
It's called "CBS All Access" and will grant subscribers access to current and classic CBS programming. It will also include some programming from local CBS TV stations. The service will be $5.99 a month, with or without a cable subscription.
Better yet, the service is available right now via CBS.com or the CBS All Access app available on iOS and Android devices. Subscribers can currently watch the full, current seasons of 15 shows, with new episodes appearing on the service the day after their television premiere. Subscribers can watch the past seasons of eight other current series, live-stream content from local CBS stations in the 14 largest U.S. markets and also have access to thousands of episodes from the company's past like Star Trek and CSI: Miami. Episodes from these "classic" shows will be streamed ad-free without interruption, while current shows will feature ads.
It should be noted that not all CBS programming will be appearing on the service. Sports broadcasts cannot be streamed, and CBS's most popular show, The Big Bang Theory, won't be available on CBS All Access along with several other popular CBS comedies.
"This new subscription service will deliver the most of CBS to our biggest fans while being additive to the overall ecosystem," CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves says in a statement. "Across the board, we continue to capitalize on technological advances that help consumers engage with our world-class programming, and we look forward to serving our viewers in this new and exciting way."
CBS announced the service a day after HBO, long an incentive to purchase a cable package, stated it would be rolling a subscription service in 2015 that would allow those without cable subscriptions to gain access to HBO programming. It's all part of an effort to attract "cord-cutters," or those who have forsaken standard cable in favor of subscription television services like Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Will it work? Only time will tell, but reception to HBO's announcement has been overwhelmingly positive. As CBS programming will still appear on services like Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime, the company has little to lose by introducing a service of their own in addition to their other digital offerings.
