Showtime is a premium American cable network comprising numerous TV channels and a standalone streaming service. When it comes to premium cable space, Showtime is a legacy player in it. If you are an American citizen, you probably heard about Showtime because of its on-demand library.
Its owner is Viacom CBS, which is formally known as Viacom. Showtime is less popular than other streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon. But it’s better than some premium streaming sites.
It offers a large variety of content across different channels and platforms. That content includes movies, original TV series, TV shows, sports programming, and feature-length theatrical films.
Some people often need clarification about the difference between Showtime and Showtime Anytime. Let us clarify here. If you subscribe to Showtime through your traditional TV provider, you can also access the Showtime Anytime app with no additional charges.
On the other hand, Showtime is a standalone service whose access you can get without going through a TV provider. You can quickly sign up for it through its website or intermediaries like Amazon, Roku, or Android. You won’t find any significant difference in the content on both sites. Moreover, you can watch Showtime anytime from anywhere (in US and territories where it is available).
History
Showtime was launched in July 1976. Only some modern streaming companies can claim they are from the 70s. In the 70s, when Showtime came into the industry, it was a premium TV channel that provided comprehensive programming content, including original TV series, stand-up comedy, and theater-related services.
In the first quarter of the 2000s, the company launched Showtime to compete with HBO. In 2010, Showtime connected with the times and formed a new company named Showtime Anytime. Finally, after five years, they released a standalone service called “Showtime.” When Showtime was released, it earned great fame and good feedback from viewers.
Design
Like other premium streaming websites, Showtime’s main page design is simple and sleek. However, its simplicity makes it more user-friendly, which helps them browse the library or search for any title. From the user’s reviews, they said it’s much better than prime video’s clunky laughable mess.
Many things are common between Showtime and Netflix. However, unlike Netflix, Showtime has no autoplay previews over the landing page. Its landing page is also less cluttered than Netflix or Prime Video.
On the main page, there’s a menu that displays all subcategories you want to watch—for example, series, movies, TV shows, sports, documentaries, comedy, etc.
Key Features
Original Content
Showtime offers a wide variety of original content, smaller than the library of Netflix, Hulu, or Prime. It provides TV series, movies, TV shows, sports, and many more.
User-friendly Design
This streaming platform offers a simple and user-friendly design, which helps them browse the library and search for titles they are looking for.
Offline Access
Showtime allows its user to download the content. You can watch the downloaded content at any time with no ads.
Sports Programming
It allows its users to access some sports channels. Boxing fans will find a good collection of the best matches here.
Ad-free Streaming
Showtime allows you to watch ad-free content except live programming. So you can enjoy your streaming without any interruption.
Free Trial
Like many other premium streaming websites, Showtime also offers its new members a free trial of 30 days. This free trial is suitable for beginners to decide whether to buy a subscription plan.
Pricing and Plans
There are different ways you can subscribe to Showtime if you are subscribing to Showtime through its official site and using the app on one of your smart devices. It will cost you $11/month, and if you subscribe to a yearly plan, it will cost you $99/year. Through the annual plan, you can save $33/year.
Showtime will offer its new members a free trial of 30 days.
If you are a student, you will be pleased to know that if you subscribe to it through a student bundle of Spotify, Hulu, and Showtime, that bundle will only cost you $5/month. So you can save $22/month. Unfortunately, it’s only available for students.
Content
Showtime offers a vast library of content. You might be thinking whether it can compete with streaming giants like Netflix, Prime, Hulu, etc. So, from our point of view, Showtime’s library is minute if you compare it with the content library of big boys. However, that means there’s less junk.
Showtime focuses more on quality than quantity. As a result, it produces more high-quality original programming, including TV series, movies, originals, TV shows, Sports, and more. Some popular series that belong to Showtime are Who is America?, Shameless, Ray Donovan, Twin Peaks, Kidding, Dexter, Homeland, and the list continues.
It not only allows you to stream series. There is also a small and unique section for movies and sports. MMA and Boxing fans would love Showtime because it offers their best matches.
Those users who are expecting a centralized entertainment hub like Netflix would be sorely disappointed. Showtime only releases content that aligns with its brand’s image.
The plus point of this pickiness is that you can easily watch what you want rather than spending hours scrolling through an enormous library. This sort of streaming model appeals to most users.
Showtime is a great competitor of HBO. Both offer almost the same features, but their approach could be better. Many viewers say HBO has the edge, but they also say if Showtime increases its library, it can easily beat HBO.
Compatibility
Showtime is compatible with every device, which includes a smart TV, Chromecast, Roku, Firestick, Apple TV, mobile phones, tablets, desktops, and many more. But some users complain that they faced compatibility issues while using Showtime on smart TV.
It takes multiple attempts to link, which could be more frustrating. Once you are done linking it with smart TV, the trouble isn’t over. The app requires you to log in again and again.
The standard Showtime app you subscribe to through a TV service provider is a bit better. But sometimes, it also suffers. For example, we got annoyed by the downloading speed, and our shows are buffering more often than they do on, say, Hulu.
The interface is pretty easy to navigate. When everything runs smoothly at that time, we don’t have any issues.
Mobile/Desktop Experience
The Showtime and Showtime Anytime interface differs. If you compare the mobile interface to the desktop interface, they are also a bit different. However, both platforms have a simple interface that is easy to navigate.
Recently users raised a red flag against Showtime Anytime’s terms and conditions. They said when you download any content from this site, you must agree that this platform can use your data. Many think it’s unnecessary and excessive.
The interface of Showtime on mobile phones and desktops shows a giant banner of a movie or any series, and under that banner, there is a menu where all the content is categorized correctly.
Suggestions that We Have for Showtime
Showtime should increase its content library and add more in-demand content. There is also a need for more sports content on this platform. If Showtime adds more content, it will help this site gain more viewers.
Showtime’s video quality is 720p and 1080p, which is not enough. Besides this quality, Showtime should offer 4k and HDR10 streaming.
When you use the Showtime app on the smart TV, you will face some issues while logging in. The company should fix these issues ASAP because they frustrate users.
Conclusion
Showtime is a famous American television network owned by Viacom CBS. With its appealing content library, most American citizens have used it. It offers various original content, including TV series, movies, sports, and more.
It’s a good competitor of HBO, but it’s cheaper than that. With Showtime’s ever-growing content library, you can watch your favorite content. The interface is simple and easy to navigate. Enjoy the 30 days free trial and decide whether to subscribe or not.
