Showtime’s standalone internet streaming service is expanding its reach with the announcement today of a partnership with Roku, Inc.’s Roku® and Roku TV models and Sony Network Entertainment International LLC’s PlayStation® Vue for its July launch.
Follow the jump for details.
SHOWTIME® PARTNERS WITH ROKU® TO OFFER ITS STAND-ALONE STREAMING SERVICE OVER THE INTERNET
SHOWTIME ALSO COMING TO PLAYSTATION® VUE CLOUD TV SERVICE
NEW YORK – June 8, 2015 – On the heels of announcing the SHOWTIME stand-alone streaming service, Showtime has partnered with Roku, Inc.’s Roku® players and Roku TV™ models and Sony Network Entertainment International LLC’s PlayStation® Vue for the launch in early July. SHOWTIME is a brand which has been embraced by consumers as the home for cutting edge original programming, sports and movies, and it is the only premium streaming service to offer customers live East and West Coast feeds. SHOWTIME will be available through these new internet distributors on all supported streaming platforms prior to the highly-anticipated July 12th season premieres of the critically-acclaimed hit series RAY DONOVAN, starring Liev Schreiber, and MASTERS OF SEX, starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan. The announcement was made today by Matthew C. Blank, Chairman and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc.
“We are thrilled that Roku and Sony have come on board for our launch in early July,” said Blank. “Both platforms have distinct and loyal audiences and together they will build on our service and greatly expand the number of homes that will have access to the SHOWTIME service over the internet. This is fundamental to Showtime’s strategy of putting the choice in the hands of the consumers regarding how, when and on what unique devices they watch our programming.”
“Showtime has been a great partner over the years and Roku’s inclusion as an initial launch platform for the SHOWTIME streaming service speaks volumes to our shared commitment to offer consumers the best entertainment experience available,” said Steve Shannon, general manager of Content and Services at Roku. “Today more than ever, consumers want choice in how they access entertainment to view what they want, when they want it. The addition of SHOWTIME to the Roku platform helps provide that choice for millions of Roku customers and delivers TV on their terms.”
“We’re thrilled to launch SHOWTIME within PlayStation Vue,” said Dwayne Benefield, Vice President, Head of PlayStation Vue at Sony Network Entertainment International. “We can’t think of a better partner with whom we can begin to extend our revolutionary television experience to a nationwide audience.”
Roku’s customer base will be able to subscribe to SHOWTIME by going to the SHOWTIME app within the Roku Channel store on Roku players and Roku TV™ models anywhere in the U.S., for one monthly price ($10.99). Roku customers who sign up in July will be offered a 30-day free trial subscription to SHOWTIME. Roku customers simply need to go to the SHOWTIME app on their Roku device to sign up and create a SHOWTIME account. Subscribers can use their SHOWTIME account to watch the service across all SHOWTIME stand-alone service supported devices as well as online at www.showtime.com.
Consumers who subscribe to SHOWTIME on the PlayStation Vue cloud-based TV service can access the network’s programming nationwide for an a la carte monthly price of $10.99.
Consumers who subscribe to SHOWTIME either through the stand-alone service on Roku and Apple devices or through the PlayStation Vue will have the network’s live broadcast of the east and west coast feeds, as well as unlimited on demand access to every season of award-winning SHOWTIME original series, and hundreds of hours of movies, documentary and sports programming.
SHOWTIME and its award-winning, critically-acclaimed original programming continues to make its mark on the cultural landscape. The network is home to one of the most successful programming line-ups in all of television, with hits that include HOMELAND, RAY DONOVAN, THE AFFAIR, MASTERS OF SEX, PENNY DREADFUL, SHAMELESS, HOUSE OF LIES, NURSE JACKIE, HAPPYish, EPISODES and the anticipated new drama series BILLIONS. Original series play a key part in the network’s programming mix, along with box office hits, comedy and music specials, provocative documentaries, and hard-hitting sports programming, including the flagship franchise SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® and the news magazine programs 60 MINUTES SPORTS and JIM ROME ON SHOWTIME. The company’s diverse slate of films includes Boyhood, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Philomena, St. Vincent, The Imitation Game and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.
About CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company that creates and distributes industry-leading content across a variety of platforms to audiences around the world. The Company has businesses with origins that date back to the dawn of the broadcasting age as well as new ventures that operate on the leading edge of media. CBS owns the most-watched television network in the U.S. and one of the world’s largest libraries of entertainment content, making its brand —“the Eye” — one of the most recognized in business. The Company’s operations span virtually every field of media and entertainment, including cable, publishing, radio, local TV, film, and interactive and socially responsible media. CBS’s businesses include CBS Television Network, The CW (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), CBS Television Studios, CBS Global Distribution Group (CBS Studios International and CBS Television Distribution), CBS Consumer Products, CBS Home Entertainment, CBS Interactive, CBS Films, Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network, Pop (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Lionsgate), Smithsonian Networks, Simon & Schuster, CBS Television Stations, CBS Radio and CBS EcoMedia. For more information, go to www.cbscorporation.com.