If you want to dethrone the king, you gotta get aggressive on your pricing. Here’s why Paramount Plus is cheaper than Netflix…

In order to “break” into the hugely competitive VOD market and scrape back some market share from the likes of Netflix and Disney, CBS has gone all out aggressive with the pricing for its Paramount Plus streaming platform.

This move, savvy as it is, will help the platform – especially during the run up to Xmas 2022 – earn itself a raft of new subscribers.

It got me several months back; I wanted to watch Top Gun: Maverick, so I took a free trial of Paramount Plus, watched it, and after exploring the platform, I decided to keep my subscription.

I then quickly learnt that it was A) cheaper than Netflix, and B) had more stuff that I wanted to watch – movies from the 1980s and 1990s, as well as newer titles, and classic Hollywood cinema.

Netflix, meanwhile, seems to be descending into an endless pit of mediocrity, producing torrents of poorly received films, canceling excellent shows before they get going, and placing far too much emphasis on reality TV.

There are gems in there, of course, shows like Squid Game, Better Call Saul, as well as the old good movie here and there, but these “iconic” shows seem to be happening less and less. Indeed, Netflix’s current focus appears to be cheap-to-make, utter nonsense like Too Hot To Handle, Love is Blind, and Nailed It.

So, if you’re a miserable old git like me, perhaps Paramount Plus will be more your speed? I mean, it is cheaper than Netflix, as you’ll see below, and the push of the platform – at least, right now – is focussed solely on films and original TV programming.

Paramount Plus Price (Compared To Netflix)

If you subscribe to Paramount Plus today, you can not only get a free trial for 7 days but you can also access its entire library of content, ad-free for less than $10 a month (its Premium version is $9.99).

This makes Paramount Plus significantly cheaper than Netflix for the simple reason that Netflix charges $9.99 for one subscription with the streaming resolution capped at 720p. If you want Ultra HD, as most do, that’ll set you back $19.99 per month.

Netflix even charges a premium for 1080p streaming resolution – $15.49 per month.

How Much Does Paramount Plus Cost?

With Paramount Plus, you can pay less than 10 bucks a month, access its entire library of films and TV shows, and stream everything in either 1080p or 4K where available. Or, if you want to get it for even less you can go with its ad-supported version for $4.99 per month.

Whichever way you slice it, Paramount Plus is far better value for money.

And with Paramount Plus, you’ll get access to more films, more often. And they’ll be newer titles as well, fresh from the cinema, whereas on Netflix, you’ll potentially have to wait years for big name movies like Top Gun: Maverick to appear on the platform.

The Current State of The VOD Market – Late-2022

Netflix is the unabashed king of VOD streaming. It has the most subscribers, the most award winning shows, and it is available in the most countries – 190 at the last count.

Its days as the de facto streaming platform for most people, however, could be coming to an end.

Shareholders seems to be waking up to this fact, that Netflix is now under threat from all sides by other, bigger media conglomerates, which is why Netflix’s share price has been all over the place during the past 18 months.

Netflix’s current biggest problem is, of course, Disney.

Disney – through its Disney+, ESPN, and HULU platforms – is now nipping at its heels. Collectively, meaning across its three streaming platforms, Disney now has more subscribers than Netflix. And Disney+ isn’t even available in most countries outside the US and Europe.

But Netflix also has “other” problems related to its business model. As more and more streaming platforms emerge, companies like CBS, Disney, and HBO will NOT licence their content to Netflix; instead, they’ll use their collective IP to drive subscribers to their platforms.

This has been Disney’s MO with Disney+ since day one. It owns most of Hollywood’s biggest franchises, spanning nearly every conceivable genre from action and adventure to horror and animation.

With this staggering amount of IP, it can create myriad new films and TV shows and then make them ONLY available on ITS streaming platforms.

This is why Disney+ and HULU are growing rapidly and Netflix is struggling to meet investor demands for growth.

Sadly for Netflix, I don’t see things getting any better for Netflix because with competing services like Paramount Plus now making in-roads into the US and UK VOD markets, life as a VOD is only going to get harder and considerably more expensive, as the emphasis has now switched to original content and IP ownership.

Paramount Plus is Closer To Disney+ Than Netflix

If you didn’t already know, CBS – the company behind Paramount Plus – owns quite a lot of IP, not Disney-levels (no one owns stuff like The Big D) but it has more than enough to be more than competitive with the big boys of VOD, covering films and TV shows, as well as original content.

With films, Paramount Plus packs in all of Paramount Pictures content, as well as stuff from MGM and Miramax. It also has deals and part-ownership stakes in a constellation of smaller movie studios.

And then CBS has its TV channels which include: MTV, Logo, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and VH1 to name just a few.

And, yes, you get access to ALL of this stuff inside Paramount Plus as well as access to your local CBS affiliate stations (for a fee), live sports, including the NFL and, of course, loads of movies fresh from the cinema like Top Gun: Maverick, Smile, and Scream VI which is due to land in 2023.

As with Disney, Paramount likes to release its bigger movies in cinemas and then, around 45 days later, release it inside Paramount Plus.

This means, compared to Netflix, you get access to newer movies, more often – and this is important if you’re a film buff that likes early access to the latest Hollywood blockbusters.

Paramount Pictures produces hundreds of new movies every year, and from now on Paramount Plus will be the only place you can watch them.

Paramount Plus

4.5

Paramount Plus is a streaming service that provides access to a huge library of movies and television shows. It is the new home for Paramount Pictures, as well as Nickelodeon, MTV, BET and Comedy Central content. The prices are affordable and offer viewers amazing value for money – and there's even a FREE TRIAL!

Pros:

Over 30,000 films and TV shows
Access latest films first
Access to a large library of movies and television shows - including originals and exclusives.
Affordable prices, great value for money.
Free trial available.
Includes content from Nickelodeon, MTV, BET and Comedy Central.

TRY IT FOR FREE!