Paramount Plus in Australia: Everything we know so far

In the tail-end of 2019, the Viacom-CBS merger fused the power of Paramount Pictures and the TV talents of CBS, creating a single media powerhouse, ViacomCBS. It was just like when Disney acquired Fox but nowhere near as exciting. With their powers combined, the Viacom and CBS partnership came to a climax when the company revealed its new streaming service, Paramount Plus, revealing a teaser for the service during this year’s Super Bowl.

Yes, there are already too many streaming services in Australia, but thankfully Paramount Plus has replaced an existing streaming service, the woefully inept 10 All Access just like it replaced CBS All Access in the US. Paramount Plus combines the television shows from CBS with content from the various properties under the wider ViacomCBS banner, including but not limited to Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and MTV.

Paramount Plus is now available in Australia. For new subscribers, there's a 7-day free trial so you can see what the service is all about.

• $8.99 per month
• $89.99 per year
• $1 cheaper than 10 All Access

Paramount Plus offers monthly and annual subscription options in Australia. The monthly plan costs $8.99 per month and the annual plan costs $89.99 per year, which works out $7.49 per month (15% off).

That's a fraction cheaper than 10 All Access, Netflix, Stan and Disney Plus, though it is more expensive than Amazon Prime Video ($6.99 per month).

Before launch, representatives from Paramount Plus confirmed the service would offer 7-day free trial for new subscribers. After that first week, subscribers will be charged $8.99 for their first month as a customer or $89.99 upfront for the year, depending on which plan you choose.

At launch, the Paramount Plus library is quite thin. There are some great TV shows from Showtime, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon but the library of classic movies isn't comparable to something like Netflix, Stan or Disney Plus. Take a look below to see how Paramount Plus compares with other major Australian streaming services.

Each Paramount Plus subscription allows for three simultaneous streams at once. That means you and two other family members can stream Paramount Plus at the same time without any issues.

Paramount Plus is available to stream on all the usual suspects, like desktop via supported web browsers and smartphones and tablets via the iOS and Android apps but there are a few Australia-specific streaming devices in the mix too. Here's the complete list of compatible devices for Paramount Plus in Australia:

• Desktop (web)
• iPhone and iPads via iOS app (iOS 10 and iOS11+)
• Apple TV Gen 4  and Gen 5 (4K)
• Android app (smartphone and tablet)
• Compatible Android TV devices
• Chromecast
• Fetch TV
• Telstra TV

• Launched on Wednesday, the 11th of August 2021

Paramount Plus is now available in Australia.

The Australian release date for Paramount Plus was first announced in a report by The Sydney Morning Herald where ViacomCBS confirmed that Paramount Plus would launch on the 11th of August 2021 here in Australia.

• 286 TV shows at launch

At launch, there are 286 TV shows available to stream on Paramount Plus in Australia. Some of the highest-profile shows, such as Twin Peaks and Dexter, were previously available on Stan. Standout Comedy Central series like Nathan For You and Detroiters were also previously available on Stan but have found a new home on Paramount Plus in Australia. There are a few surprises in there that the original sneak-peak at Paramount Plus TV shows and movies didn't give away.

In addition to those popular TV shows, Paramount Plus has launched with a small collection of original TV shows created exclusively for the service, including Aussie comedy-drama Five Bedrooms and the SpongeBob SquarePants prequel series Kamp Koral. Here's the list of originals and TV shows Paramount Plus is touting as exclusive:

• Two Weeks to Live
• Five Bedrooms
• Kamp Koral
• Why Women Kill
• iCarly
• Leonardo
• Rugrats (2021)
• Everyone is Doing Great
• Anne Boleyn
• Flatbush Misdemeanors
• Dexter
• The Affair
• Californication
• The Borgias
• Brotherhood
• Dice
• Happyish
• I'm Dying Up Here
• Nurse Jackie
• House of Lies
• Penny Dreadful
• Sleeper Cell
• Twin Peaks: The Return
• White Famous

All of this is in addition to the raft of original content that was announced earlier in the year, such as the Halo TV series, new Avatar: The Last Airbender originals, a Frasier reboot and more.

• First dibs on new Paramount Films movies
• Existing movie distribution deals will remain
• 301 movies at launch

At launch, there are 301 movies available on Paramount Plus in Australia. There are some well-known franchises in the mix, like The Godfather, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings and Mission Impossible. Even the complete collection of Batman movies is there.

It appears that existing Paramount Pictures movies will remain fluid and not exclusive but Paramount Plus will be first served when it comes to new Paramount films, like the highly-anticipated horror sequel A Quiet Place 2 (although the highly-anticipated sequel isn't available at launch). However, they won't necessarily be exclusive to Paramount Plus. There also won't be a mass exodus of Paramount Pictures movies from other streaming services (like we saw with Disney Plus). Movie franchises like Mission Impossible, Transformers and Shrek will continue to move between alternative streaming services too. Still, it's more than likely that Paramount Plus will have those movies too.

Here's a quick look at some of the biggest classics and action blockbuster movies available on Paramount Plus Australia at launch:

• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• Clueless (1995)
• The Godfather Part II (1975)
• Any Given Sunday (1999)
• Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
• World War Z (2013)
• Mission Impossible II (2000)
• Mission Impossible III (2006)
• Top Gun (1986)
• Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
• The Lord of the Rings series
• The Harry Potter series
• The Dark Knight series
• The Indiana Jones series

Just like its TV shows, Paramount Plus is also producing original movies for the service. At launch, the headline exclusive is Infinite, a sci-fi action romp starring Mark Wahlberg.

• All A-League and W-League football matches streamed live on Paramount Plus
• One A-League match per week on Channel 10 and one W-League match per week on 10Bold
• Socceroos and Matildas matches

Not too long after ViacomCBS teased that sports broadcasts weren't out of the question, the company revealed an exclusive five-year partnership with the A-League and W-League that would see every match of both leagues streamed live on the paid Paramount Plus service. On free-to-air, there will be one A-League match every Saturday on Channel 10 and one W-League match every Sunday on 10Bold. Both weekly matches will then be syndicated to Network 10's digital catch-up service, Network 10. In addition to the A-League and W-League, Paramount Plus also has the rights to stream Socceroos and Matildas matches.

This move pits the upcoming Paramount Plus against other Australian sports streaming services, such as Stan Sport, Kayo Sport and Optus Sport.

At launch, there isn't a dedicated section for sport in the Paramount Plus streaming app and no mention whatsoever of the A-League or W-League but both of those are off-season so we should expect to see sports included at no extra cost towards October when the A-League season begins.