Showtime Review
Learn more about Showtime and how it stacks up to other streaming providers.
Everything you need to know about Showtime
Getty ImagesShowtime is a premium cable network with a streaming component that has delivered many of your favorite dramas through the past decades, including Dexter, Six Feet Under, and Yellowjackets, as well as beloved comedies from Nurse Jackie to Weeds and Shameless.
Showtime also offers movies, including documentaries, but it is rather expensive compared with other services that offer a much broader selection of movies and TV shows. Still, if you are a person who enjoys thought-provoking and original series, Showtime may be for you.
Read on if you're wondering what to watch on Showtime so you can learn more about everything the streaming service has to offer.
Showtime review
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Showtime compared to other TV streaming services
*Streaming service package information accurate as of 08/02/2022.
Though other services may surpass Showtime for certain features such as a higher volume of original titles and robust libraries of older titles, Showtime's strength in an ever-growing streaming world is its strong offering of popular and critically-acclaimed originals. These series include the aforementioned Yellowjackets, as well as Billions, and The Good Lord Bird, as well as older Showtime titles including Homeland, House of Lies, and Ray Donovan.
How much does Showtime cost?
You can purchase Showtime's streaming service with a monthly subscription plan that costs $11/mo. Alternatively, you can save with an annual subscription, which costs $99/yr. These plans are straightforward and provide access to all Showtime programming. Unlike some other services, there are no additional plans that offer different programming.
Showtime does offer a free trial period for 30 days. When you enroll in this program, you will select either the monthly or annual plan and, unless you cancel before the end of your free 30-day trial, you will automatically be charged the fee you selected.
Showtime titles and add-ons
As a first-generation streaming service, Showtime offers a variety of commercial-free titles with unlimited access to many award-winning movies and series, as well as documentaries and sports specials. The basic programming is comprehensive as a standalone product, so add-ons aren't really necessary unless you're looking for live TV networks.
Showtime is available as an add-on for live TV streaming providers with varying pricing specials and benefits. Often, you can pay less when you bundle Showtime with your provider's package. For example, you may be able to add Showtime to a Hulu + Live TV subscription for a reduced monthly fee on top of the current Hulu subscription price. Currently, Showtime advertises a bundle with Paramount+ for $12/mo., which saves $4 on the cost of using both services separately. But check carefully as these add-on fees fluctuate frequently and it's often best and less costly to subscribe directly to Showtime.
Showtime features
Robust access to original titles
Although Showtime does not offer an internal DVR service that comes with a subscription like some other providers do, Showtime subscribers can directly access at any time the critically acclaimed original movies and series which Showtime has been known for.
A Showtime subscription will provide access to both or either Showtime's East or West Coast feeds. These are available at the same time they are offered on television and
makes all of this available to you on all supported devices.Device flexibility
Showtime can be streamed on as many as three different devices simultaneously. This is an important feature for subscribers with large families and clearly sets Showtime apart from some competitors. Beyond three device capacity, Showtime subscribers are able to authorize as many as five separate devices to download titles. This is an increasingly key feature as more and more people utilize a variety of different tablets and phones.
Sports specials
Sports fans are among some of Showtime's biggest fans, particularly fans of non-traditional team sporting events such as MMA and important boxing matches. Additionally, Showtime has many quality original titles and sports documentaries which are extremely popular. These include Kobe Bryant's Muse, Passion Play: Russell Westbrook, and Disgraced.
Showtime supported devices
Showtime is extremely well supported by a broad range of popular devices. The streaming service can be streamed on the following devices:
- Amazon Fire and Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K
- Apple iPhone, Apple iPod Touch, Apple iPad
- Google Chromecast
- Android and Android TV (Google TV)
- LG Smart TV with webOS
- Sony PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
- Sony BRAVIA
- LeEco TV
- NVIDIA SHIELD
- Roku streaming device and Roku TV
- Samsung Smart TV with Tizen
- Oculus Go and Oculus Quest
- Windows 10 or later
- Apple macOS
- Hisense TV
- Xiaomi MiBox
- Facebook Portal TV
- Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Is Showtime worth it?
If you are a fan of quality productions that rarely miss but don't reach consumers as rapidly as some other streamers' titles, Showtime is a solid choice. Many subscribers remain with Showtime solely because they have fallen in love with some of its long-running series. The additional documentaries, sporting events, and movie variety make Showtime a good addition to your streaming suite.
You may pay a bit more than other services and get access to fewer movies and TV shows, but the higher-quality productions make the extra cost worthwhile.