What Paramount+ Gets Right for Families (And What It Doesn’t)

Paramount Plus offers an ideal variety of content for families, with its Nickelodeon kids collection, vast movie selection, exclusive sports coverage, and Golden Globe-nominated dramas.

At the same time, Paramount Plus has earned a reputation as an afterthought. It’s not the first service you navigate to on a Friday night. Rather, it’s the random place you find yourself after you Google an obscure movie and realize it’s offered on Paramount Plus. At least, that was my journey recently when the mood struck for an “Almost Famous” rewatch.

The diverse catalog, sports offerings, and budget-friendly price are strong points in favor of getting the app for your family. However, it struggles to offer enough to be the only one you subscribe to.

The variety of content on Paramount Plus makes it a standout option for families. There’s something for everyone to watch from reality shows and kids content to American dramas and blockbuster movies.

Paramount Plus is the home to Nickelodeon’s entire catalog—one that appeals to a range of ages.

For young children, there's:

• Paw Patrol
• Blue’s Clues
• Dora

Older kids have exciting shows like:

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Avatar the Last Airbender

If you’re looking for low-stimulating options, there’s:

• Little Bear
• The Backyardigans
• Oswald

And for you nostalgic millennials who like to say your kids will be watching the classics you grew up with, you can turn on:

• Hey Arnold!
• Rugrats
• The Wild Thornberrys
• Rocket Power

They even have some 90s Nickelodeon shows I thought I might have imagined:

• Double Dare
• All That
• Are You Afraid of the Dark?
• Guts

Adults in the family can enjoy a respectable collection of dramas like: “MobLand,” reality shows like “The Challenge,” and blockbuster movies like “The Running Man.”

If you share my tastes in content, you’ll be subscribing for “Survivor,” “Star Trek” shows, and “Mission Impossible.” And it’s no question grandparents love the American-based dramas like “Yellowstone” spinoffs, “Landman,” and “Tulsa King.”

In short, anyone can find something to watch and enjoy on Paramount Plus — making it an ideal streamer for families with diverse content preferences. 

Paramount Plus is positioning itself as a standout streamer for sports with its robust and exclusive selection of sports content. In 2026, Paramount introduced a partnership with UFC. Live fight night events will now stream on Paramount Plus, no pay-per-view required. Plus, behind the scenes docuseries, countdown commentary, and throwback fights.

The UEFA Champions League also streams on Paramount Plus — the most popular league in Europe. You can catch live games, highlights, and watch a “Beckham & Friends” commentary series with David Beckham and celebrity guests.

You’ll also find CBS NFL games, the Masters, and March Madness coverage. Regardless of your chosen sport, you’ll probably discover a game to tune in to on Paramount Plus.

One reason I still subscribe to Paramount Plus is its comparatively low price. The Paramount+ Essential plan is $9 a month, making it cheaper than Apple TV, Disney Plus, and HBO Max. For how large its content catalog is, and for how many people that content can appeal to, it’s a good value.

The Paramount+ Premium subscription is $14 a month, ad-free, and allows you to download content. Plus, you’ll get Showtime access and CBS live channels.

And if there’s a student in your family, they get 50% off. If you’re a family looking to keep your monthly subscriptions to a minimum, Paramount Plus is an affordable one to keep in the rotation.

If your family consists of content aficionados that like to have an interesting answer when friends ask what they’re watching, skip Paramount Plus. It's one of the only major streaming services without a major breakout hit. The Paramount press releases might claim the numbers make “Landman” a success, but the show isn’t inspiring watch parties, trending on TikTok, or making new stars.

If one of your teens hosted a party for the “Stranger Things” finale, or if your partner joined the conversation about the “Game of Thrones” episode with a battle too dark to see, or dressed up as Milchick from “Severance” for Halloween, you’d be better off subscribing to streamers known for their original content (Netflix, Apple TV, or HBO Max.)

Paramount Plus simply has a small selection of originals compared to other services. And the originals they do have, though well-loved by fans, are under-the-radar sleeper hits. They don’t often break through to the cultural conversation.

Even one of Paramount’s biggest TV shows, “Yellowstone”, you can’t actually watch on Paramount Plus — it lives on Peacock for some reason. But you can catch some of the show’s (arguably better) spin offs like “1883” on Paramount Plus.

Paramount Plus isn’t for families who want to be watching the next big thing. If it was the only service you had, you’d be missing out. That doesn’t mean there isn’t good content on Paramount Plus. As a supplementary option, there’s plenty of things to entertain, especially for those who love a good popcorn movie.

At just $9 a month it’s easy to say Paramount Plus is worth the subscription for most people. It’s a minimal addition to your budget for a streaming service where everyone in the family can find something they’ll be excited to watch. If your top priority is culturally-relevant hits, Paramount Plus may not be for you.