US streamer Paramount+ launched in Australia today. It promises over 20,000 films and TV shows and includes a whole lot of hours of NCIS. All for $8.99 a month - ad-free.
Paramount+ is launched in conjunction with Channel 10 in Australia and will include a mix of content from ViacomCBS brands (Channel 10, CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Showtime, Paramount Pictures, and BET).
It's a big library, a price that's cheaper than many of the alternative big-name streamers from the US, and will be ad-free. That all sounds pretty good. But does it live up to the promise?
Yes. Kinda. Mostly.
This article is going to focus on what is available on day one of the service and hope to answer the question: If you subscribe today, will you get your money's worth?
The Good
There are two real strengths to Paramount+. The first is that there's a sizeable movie library. You'll find a lot of films that you haven't found previously on Stan or Netflix. A lot of well-known modern favourites (anything after 1980) and a handful of older classic titles too. If movies are a core concern of yours, to be completely honest, competitor Binge has a better range of big name Hollywood titles. But, as a subscriber here you won't be left wanting. It's a good, solid library.
The second strength of Paramount+ is what makes Paramount+ worthwhile - it has Showtime. A couple of years ago when Stan launched in Australia, it announced that it had the local output deal for Showtime. At the time, they were trumpeting it, but Showtime then isn't what it is now. For years, Showtime had been putting out well-produced, but second and third tier dramas and comedies. Its best titles were shows like Californication, Nurse Jackie, Homeland, and The Tudors. So, good shows, but probably not your favourites. It's certainly not HBO.
And while it still sits in second place to HBO, Showtime over the past five years has really improved its position with loud, buzzy shows. It's best ongoing series are probably Billions and Black Monday, but where Showtime excel is with limited run shows. Many of the best and most-anticipated shows of the last few years were from Showtime. Titles like Twin Peaks: The Return, Escape at Dannemora, Good Lord Bird, Your Honor, and The Loudest Voice. Good, buzzy titles.
Ongoing series that launched on Stan will stay on Stan (so, you won't find Billions over on Paramount+), but all new ongoing series from Showtime will be on Paramount+ along with a number of older library titles. Add that with a decent collection of Paramount+ original series and you have a solid library of good TV shows.
They're not there on day one, but some of the buzziest shows coming soon are Showtime/Paramount+ series - titles like Halo (based on the video game), Yellowjackets, The Man Who Fell To Earth, The Offer, Ripley, and the Dexter revival series.
The Bad
While there are some good to great titles in the Paramount+ library, there isn't the volume that you'd hope for. Especially in regards to classic shows from the CBS library. The US version of Paramount+ is a little light in that department too, but it does have beloved titled like Happy Days, The Brady Bunch, Mission: Impossible, The Love Boat, I Love Lucy, Perry Mason, Taxi, Wings, Gunsmoke, The Odd Couple, etc. It's a great point of difference to most competitors and there is an audience for that older material. But the Australian Paramount+ has very little of that on day one. Hopefully it improves in regards to this going forward.
It's interesting that the Star Trek franchise is so integral to the future of Paramount+ (there are SO MANY new Star Trek shows in the pipeline), but none of the shows are available on Paramount+ with just two of the recent reboot films on offer. Sure, new Trek series like Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks are currently licensed to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, but it's surprising that none of the older series or movies are available here.
The ugly
Paramount+ is owned by ViacomCBS and has drawn upon the legacy Viacom cable TV business to fill out it's library. MTV reality shows are over-represented here. So much of the quality content is swamped out by titles like Teen Mom, Black Ink Crew, and Ex on The Beach. There's an audience for that sort of content, so I don't want to diminish that. But when Paramount+ is so light on classic TV offerings, but has retro libraries filled with reality junk (er, reality 'classics'?), the weighting isn't proportionate.
The absence of The Daily Show is a little unusual as the show is running on multiple channels in Australia.
And speaking of absent titles that are almost certainly cheap library additions - two of my beloved oddball favourites weren't added - Wonder Showzen (maybe the funniest TV show of the past 20 years) and cult-fave Aeon Flux.
The verdict
Will you get your $8.99 worth if you sign up on day one to Paramount+? I think you will. There are more than enough shows and movies here that are worth your time and haven't been made available locally before. Or, at least not for some time. The library is plentiful and there's some good discoveries to be made.
Will that $8.99 worth of value still be there in two or three months time? That's the question. If Paramount+ fills out its archives a little bit more and we start seeing some decent shows from the pipeline of Showtime and the Paramount+ originals - you may have an ongoing reason to subscribe. Yellowjackets, American Rust, and the Dexter revival are all due by the end of the year. Whether those three shows are enough to justify your months subscription bill is worth thinking about.
The day one list
TV shows
5 Mistakes That Caught a Killer
7th Heaven
16 and Pregnant
100 Things To Do Before High School
90210
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Advancing Australia
The Adventures of Jimmy Neuton: Boy Genius
The Adventures of Kid Danger
Aerial Africa
Aerial America
The Affair
Air Warriors
Rugrats: All Grown Up
All That
The Amanda Show
The Amazing Race Australia
Ambulance Australia
Ambulance UK
America's Mississippi
America in Color
Angry Beavers
Anne Boleyn
Another Period
Are You The One?
Are You The One: Second Chances
Australian Survivor
Avatar: The Last Airbender
BH 90210
Baby Shark's Big Show
The Bachelor Australia
The Bachelorette Australia
The Bachelor in Paradise Australia
Back at The Barnyard
Barely Famous
Becker
Beecham House
Beverly Hills 90210
The Big Bang Theory
Big Time Rush
Black Ink Crew
Blaze and The Monster Machines
Blood & Treasure
Blue's Clues
Blue's Clues & You
Blue's Room
Blue Bloods
The Borgias
Breadwinners
Broke
The Brotherhood
Bull
Bunsen is a Beast
CSI
CSI: Cyber
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Californication
Calvin & Kaison's Play Power
The Casagrandes
Catdog
Catfish: The TV Show
Catfish: Trolls
Caught on Camera
Celebrity Ex On The Beach
ChalkZone
The Challenge: Champs vs Stars
Chappelle's Show
Charmed
Charmed (2018)
Cheers
Corn & Peg
Crank Yankers
Critter Quest!
The Cube
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team
Danny Phantom
Daria
Deadwood
Detroiters
Dexter
Diagnosis Murder
Dice
The Dog House UK
Dora The Explorer
Double Dare
Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman
Drunk History
Drunk History: Australia
Drunk History: UK
The Dudesons in America
Elementary
Every Which Way
Everyone is Doing Great
Ex on The Beach US
FBI
FBI: Most Wanted
The Fairly Oddparents
Families of The Mafia
Family Ties
Flatbush Misdemeanours
Floribama Shore
Frasier
Fresh Beat Band of Spies
Garden Secrets
Geordie OGs
Geordie Shore
Ghosted: Love Gone Missing
Girls Cruise
Go Diego, Go
The Good Fight
Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik
The Good Fight
HAPPYish
Harvey Beaks
The Haunted Hathaways
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O Classic
Hey Arnold
The Hills
The Hills: New Beginnings
House of Anubis
House of Lies
How To Stay Married
How to Rock
Hunter Street
I'm Dying Up Here
I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Australia
I Am Frankie
iCarly
iCarly (2007)
Idiotsitter
In The Dark
Incredible Flying Cars
Inside
Inside Amy Schumer
Instinct
Interrogation
Jack's Big Music Show
Jamie's Easy Meals for Every Day
Jamie's Quick & Easy Food
Jamie's Ultimate Veg
Jamie and The Nonnas
Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation
The Jim Jefferies Show
Junior Masterchef Australia
Just For Laughs: Montreal Comedy Festival
Just Tattoo of Us
Just Tattoo of Us USA
Kamp Koral
Key & Peele
The King of Queens
Kinne Tonight
Knight Squad
Kroll Show
The Late Late Show with James Corden
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Leaving Neverland
Legend of Korra
Leonardo
Light as a Feather
Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club
Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story
The Lost Tapes
Love & Hip Hop: New York
MacGyver
MacGyver Classic
Madam Secretary
Make or Break
Man with a Plan
The Masked Singer Australia
The Masked SInger US
Masterchef Australia
Medium
Melrose Place
The Mighty B!
A Million Little Things
Monsters vs Aliens
My Life as a Teenage Robot
My Life is Murder
My Mum's Hotter Than Me
My Super Sweet 16
NCIS
NCIS: Los Angeles
NCIS: New Orleans
The Naked Brothers Band
Nancy Drew (2019)
Nathan For You
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
The Neighborhood
Neighbours
Nella The Princess Knight
Ni Hao Kai Lan
Nitro Circus
Not So Sweet 16
Numbers
Nurse Jackie
OMG
One Born Every Minute
One Dollar
Oz (Yes... HBO's Oz)
Paw Patrol
The Penguin's of Madagascar
Penny Dreadful
Pig Goat Banana Cricket
Pimp My Ride
Playing for Keeps
Punk'd
Racing Wives
Ra Donovan
Ready Set Dance
The Real Jesus of Nazareth
The Real Mad Men of Advertising
The Real World
The Ren & Stimpy Show
Review (with Forrest MacNeil)
Ridiculousness
Robot & Monster
Rocket Power
Rocko's Modern Life
Rugrats
Rugrats (2021)
Rules of Engagement
SEAL Team
Sabrina The Teenage Witch
Sacred Sites
Sam & Cat
Sanjay and Craig
The Secrets She Keeps
See Dad Run
Sleeper Cell
Smithsonian Spotlight
South Park
Spongebob Squarepants
Sports Detectives
Stories from The Vaults
Strange Angel
Survivor US (all 40 seasons!)
Taboo
Talia in The Kitchen
Teachers (2015)
Team Umizoomi
Teen Cribs
Teen Mom
Teen Mom 2
Teen Mom: Australia
Teen Mom: Young & Pregnant
Teen Mom OG
Teen Mom UK
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)
Tell Me a Story
Todd Sampson's Body Hack
Tommy
Tooning Out The News
Top Wing
Tosh.0
The Troop
True Jackson VP
True Life Crime
The Twilight Zone (1959)
The Twilight Zone (1985)
The Twilight Zone (2019)
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks: The Return
Two Weeks To Live
Under The Dome
Unfabulous
The Unicorn
Wallykazam!
White Famous
Why Women Kill
The Wild Thornberry's
Wonder Pets
The Wonderful World of Chocolate
Zoey 101
Zoo Vets
Zoofari
Movies
Infinite
A Quiet Place
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible 2
Mission: Impossible 3
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Pulp Fiction
Transformers
Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Transformers: Dark of The Moon
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Grease
(Indiana Jones and the) Raiders of The Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull
Annabelle
Annabelle: Creation
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix
Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and The Deathly Harrows Part 1
Harry Potter and The Deathly Harrows Part 2
Good Will Hunting
Elf
Clueless
Batman
Batman Forever
Batman & Robin
Batman Returns
Batman: Begins
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice
Kong: Skull Island
Game Night
World War Z
Dunkirk
Ghost
Jackass 2.5
Jackass 3.5
Jackass Presents: Bad Granpa 0.5
It
100 Things To Do Before High School
15 Minutes
300
42
8 Seconds
A-Bombs Over Nevada
ABBA: The Secrets of Their Greatest Hits
About Schmidt
Above The Rim
The Accidental Tourist
The Accordion Kings
Adam Hills: Take His Legs
Addicted To Love
After The Sunset
Albert
Alexander
All About The Benjamins
American Gigalo
American History X
Americans Underground: Secret City of WWI
Andre
Animals Aloft
The Anti-Vax Conspiracy
Any Given Sunday
Argo
Arlington: Call To Honor
The Astronauts Wife
The Avengers (1998)
Baby New at The Zoo
The Bachelor
Barbarella
The Battle for Britney
Battle of Little Bighorn
Beneath Hill 60
Best in Show
The Best Player
Big Time Move
Billionaire Babies at Christmas
Billionaire Babies: 24 Carat Kids
Billionaire Kids
Billionaire Kids: On Holiday
Billionaire Kids: Happy Birthday
Bixler High: Private Eye
Blade 2
Blade: Trinity
Blade Runner
Blondie's New York
Blood Diamond
Blue Hawaii
Blurt!
Body Freaks: Make Me a Perfect 10
Body Freaks: Old Face New Face
Boogie Nights
Book Club
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf
The Brady Bunch Movie
The Bridges of Madison County
Britain's Pushiest Parents
Carrier At War: The USS Enterprise
Catfisg: The TV Show Special: Nev and Max's 15 Craziest Catfish Stories (No, I don't get how this is categorized as a film either)
Cellular
Chasing Liberty
CHIPS
The Color Purple
Coneheads
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters
The Departed
Designing Dogs
Diana Princess of Wales: In Her Own Words
Diana To Meghan: Royal Wedding Secrets
The Disaster Artist
Dumb an Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
Escape From Mr Lemoncello's Library
Extreme Measures
Extremely Loud Incredibly Close
Eyes Wide Shut
A Fairly Odd Christmas
A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up Timmy Tuner
A Fairly odd Summer
Fall of Japan: In Color
Fame
Father Figures
Father's Day
Final Destination
Final Destination 2
Final Destination 5
Flags of Our Fathers
For Your Consideration
Four Rooms
Frankie & Johnny
Frequency
Full Metal Jacket
Funny Face
Genius In America
Geostorm
Ghost Cat: Clouded Leopard
Ghosts of Mississippi
The Glimmer Man
The Godfather
The Godfather Part 2
The Godfather Part 3
Gold Digger and Proud
The Good German
Grease 2
Gun Trucks of Vietnam
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Half Shell heroes: Blast To The Past
The Hangover
The Hangover Part 3
Happy Christmas
Hey Arnold: the Jungle Movie
Houseboat
How To Be Single
How To Lose Friends and Alienate People
Imagine: John Lennon
The Importance of Being Earnest
Incredible Flying Jet Packs
Interview With a Vampire
Islands of Creation
J Edgar
Jamie Oliver: The Naked Chef Bares All
Jamie's Easy Christmas Countdown
Jersey Shore - Family Vacation: 10 Fist Pumping years
Jinxed
JoJo Siwa: My World
JoJo's Dream Birthday
JoJo's D.R.E.A.M. Concert
Joyful Noise
Killing Hasselhoff
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
The Last Samurai
Legend of Lead Belly
Legends of The Hidden Temple
The LEGO Batman Movie
The LEGO Ninjago Movie
Lethal Weapon 2
Lethal Weapon 3
Liar Liar Vampire
Life of The Party
Lincoln's Last Day
Little Divas: Tantrums and Tiaras
Little Nicky
Loose At The Zoo
Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring
Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King
The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers
Lost in America
Lost In The West Part 1
Lost In The West Part 2
Lost in The West Part 3
MLK: The Assassination Tapes
The Machinist
Mad Max 2
Man of Steel
Mary Magdeline
Mascara Boy: Sex Me Up
Maverick
The Meg
Meghan & Harry: In Their Own Words
Meghan & The Markles: A Family at War
Meghan Markle: The First 100 Days
Michael Collins
Midnight in The Garden of Good & Evil
A Mighty Wind
Mommie Dearest
Mr Nice Guy
Mums Gone Wild
My Own Private Idaho
My Perfect Instagram Body
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1
Nature's Matchmaker
New York MinuteNick of Time
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Master
A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Child
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
The Notebook
Now and Then
The Nutty Professor
One Crazy Cruise
Pacific Rim
The Pallbearer
The Perfect Storm
Picturing The President: George Washington
Picturing The Presidents
Prince William: A Planet For Us All
Proof
Purple Rain
Rags
Rampage
Ransom
Regarding Henry
Ride Like a Girl
Rock of Ages
RockNRolla
Rufus
Rufus 2
Rugrats: Tales from The Crib - Three Jacks and a Beanstalk
Rumble in The Bronx
Sabrina
Santa Hunters
Scooby Doo
Seizing Justice: The Greensboro 4
Selena
The Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants 2
Skateboard Nation
Beyond Stonewall
Something TO Talk About
Something's Gotta Give
South Park: The Movie
South Park: Pandemic Special
The Spongebob Musical: Live on Stage
A Star is Born (1976)
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek Into Darkness
Swindle
Swing Shift
Syriana
Tag
Tantastic: Fifty Shades of Orange
This Is Stand-up
Three Summers
Thunderstruck
Tiger Tales
Tin Cup
To Catch a Thief
Top Gun
Town & Country
Troy
Unforgettable
Valentine's Day
Wag The Dog
We Are Marshall
We're The Millers
The Wedding Singer
What a Girl Wants
When Pigs Fly
Whos' That Girl
Wild Wild West
The Witches
Wonder Woman
The World According To Garp
Wyatt Earp
The Year of Living Dangerously
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