What channels are on Paramount+?
The only real, live channels that you can watch on Paramount+ are Paramount+ with SHOWTIME (formerly just SHOWTIME) and your local CBS affiliate. Both of these live streams are locked behind the more expensive, ad-free subscription, but they’re worth the money for cord cutters.
But if you’re looking for on-demand content and don’t care about live TV, Paramount+ carries a lot of content from your favorite traditional cable channels.
Cable TV channels on Paramount+ (with SHOWTIME):
- CBS
- Paramount+ with SHOWTIME East
- Paramount+ with SHOWTIME West
Paramount+ offers other live channels, but they’re less comparable to the channels you’d see on cable. Check out our Paramount+ Live TV guide for the full lineup of content types.
Other features
Live TV
Besides a live feed of your local CBS affiliate (premium subscribers only), Paramount+’s Live TV hub also carries CBS News and several European soccer league events live. The Live TV hub also features dozens of looping “live” channels of content similar to Paramount+ cousin Pluto TV, with feeds dedicated to Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, Survivor, and more.
Sports
Fútbol fans take note: Paramount+’s Sports channel hub carries live events from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Argentina Liga Profesional de Fútbol, and more, as well as The Masters and obscure American outfits like the National Football League (NFL) and the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).
Movies
Naturally, Paramount+ features many Paramount movies, like the first four Indiana Jones films, the Star Trek movie collection, and the previously mentioned Tom Cruise cinematic universe. In all, there are over 2,500 movies on Paramount+, ranging from classics and obscurities going back over 70 years to recent releases like The Lost City, A Quiet Place II, and Scream 5.
News
CBS News standards like 60 Minutes, Face the Nation, and 48 Hours can be found in Paramount+’s News hub, as well as a live feed of CBS News. You can also watch live local news feeds from New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore, the Bay Area, Boston, Colorado, Dallas–Fort Worth, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Sacramento CBS stations if you’re that kind of news nerd.
Paramount+ brands
Paramount+ features seven brand channel hubs: CBS, SHOWTIME, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, BET, and Smithsonian Channel. You won’t get access to their live channel feeds (with the exception of CBS and SHOWTIME, which you will get with the ad-free package), but you’ll still get a decent amount of content from each brand.
We’ll dive in to what you can expect from each of these brands below the cut.
CBS
The CBS channel hub (or brand) is the largest on Paramount+, featuring next-day streaming and full seasons of current network hits like Ghosts, The Equalizer, and Young Sheldon, as well as classics from decades ago like The Love Boat, Family Ties, I Love Lucy, Frasier, and The Twilight Zone. The CBS hub also gives you late-night and daytime content, like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Bold and the Beautiful.
SHOWTIME
To unlock SHOWTIME content on Paramount+, you’ll need the self-explanatory Paramount+ with SHOWTIME premium plan. That opens the door to streaming SHOWTIME classics like Dexter, Californication, Penny Dreadful, and Ray Donovan. You’ll also get current hits like Yellowjackets and The Chi alongside an expanded library of hit movies, documentaries, and adult-oriented programs. There’s even live Paramount+ with SHOWTIME East and West channels for those who prefer watching SHOWTIME the traditional way.
Nickelodeon
SpongeBob SquarePants, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, iCarly, Bubble Guppies, Rugrats, Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, The Fairly Oddparents—they’re all in the Nickelodeon channel hub. This brand section also includes shows from Nick Jr. and Noggin, as well as Paramount+ originals (like Big Nate) and old-school favorites (like Super Mario World).
Comedy Central
Paramount+’s Comedy Central channel hub isn’t limited to just stand-up specials and CC shows like Another Period, Workaholics, and The Daily Show; it also features corporate cousin series like Daria (from MTV), Hot in Cleveland (from TV Land), and Paramount+ original movies from South Park and Reno 911! Unfortunately, Comedy Central staple South Park isn’t on Paramount+ (you can watch South Park specials, but the main series is on Max).
MTV
As you’d expect, Paramount+’s MTV channel hub is overflowing with reality shows but features just a smattering of music content—just like MTV since the dawn of the 2000s. The MTV hub is a varied grab bag of shows also pulled from VH1, CMT, and Paramount Network, as well as Paramount+ originals like RuPaul’s Drag Race. For the Gen-X MTV crowd, you can also find classics like Ren & Stimpy, Beavis & Butt-head, and Jackass here.
BET
Unlike the all-over-the-place MTV hub, Paramount+’s BET channel is almost entirely made up of BET shows, with only a handful of Black-led series from other Paramount-owned networks. Hit the Floor, The Real Husbands of Hollywood, The Game, Being Mary Jane, and other BET hits are here, as well as recent-vintage series like Sister Sister, Moesha, and Everybody Hates Chris. On the reality side, BET also carries all of VH1’s Love & Hip-Hop and Black Ink Crew shows.
Smithsonian Channel
If you’re into historical series and documentaries, Paramount+’s Smithsonian Channel hub is the place to be. Besides scenic travel shows and cute animals in nature, the Smithsonian Channel hub also features hair-raising series like Air Disasters, Disasters at Sea, and Volcanoes: Dual Destruction. It’s like the HISTORY channel, but with more actual, you know, history.
Paramount+ channels FAQ
What channels come with Paramount+?
Paramount+ Essential only comes with ad-supported FAST channels, but Paramount+ with SHOWTIME comes with two real cable channels: CBS and Paramount+ with SHOWTIME (formerly just SHOWTIME).
What’s the difference between Paramount Network and Paramount+?
Paramount Network is a live channel carried by most cable, satellite, and live TV streaming providers; Paramount+ is a standalone on-demand streaming service with some live content. It’s confusing, but at least Paramount Network is a less embarrassing name than its previous iteration, Spike.
Can I watch Yellowstone on Paramount+?
Despite being Paramount Network’s biggest hit, the core Yellowstone series isn’t available on Paramount+. Due to a distribution deal signed years before Paramount+ (then CBS All Access) became a viable streamer, Yellowstone is only available to stream on Peacock. Yes, Paramount executives are still kicking themselves over that one. But you can watch Yellowstone spin-offs 1883 and 1923 on Paramount+.
