Showtime's Cable Channel Is Officially Getting a New Name

Paramount announced on Monday that the Showtime cable network will soon get a rebrand to better match its streaming counterpart. The company already shut down the stand-alone Showtime streaming app earlier this year and made it an option upgrade to Paramount+. Now, the cable network will also be renamed as "Paramount+ with Showtime."

Showtime has always been a premium cable network along the same lines as HBO and Cinemax, but like its competitors it is evolving fast in the age of streaming. For cord-cutters, the Showtime app was a major complication to their budget for subscriptions, so adding it to the Paramount+ app simplified things quite a bit. Now, the cable network's new name will better reflect its content. The Showtime channel will now air some Paramount+ content, which is the reason behind this rebrand.

In a statement given to Variety, a Paramount spokesperson said that this "move aligns the brand with the Paramount+ With Showtime plan, a cornerstone integration for the streaming service, making this the first of its kind multiplatform brand that integrates streaming and linear content." They noted that some linear subscribers still won't have access to the Paramount+ streaming app itself in spite of the new name.

New shows joining Showtime on cable include the sci-fi video game adaptation Halo, the crime drama Mayor of Kingstown, the supernatural tean drama Wolf Pack and the beloved spinoff Star Trek: Discovery. Those shows will air in re-runs on the new "Paramount+ with Showtime," but new seasons will still premiere exclusively on the streaming app. For example, Halo Season 1 may play on cable but Season 2 will only be available to streaming subscribers when it premieres in February.

Meanwhile, Showtime still has some huge original series that will premiere on the cable channel and, in some cases, on streaming as well. That includes A Gentleman in Moscow starring ewan McGregor, The Department produced by George Clooney and The Woman in the Wall starring Ruth Wilson. The network is still the main home for the hit series Yellowjackets, which which has a third season in the works.

These changes are gradual and won't take effect for some time. The Showtime app won't completely shut down until Thursday, Dec. 14, while the cable network won't change names until Jan. 8, 2024. You can subscribe to Paramount+ with Showtime now for $11.99 per month.