Paramount has started to shut down most of its cable network streaming apps after warning last year that it would do so. Back in December, we reported how the Comedy Central, MTV, and Paramount Network would soon be shutting down, and now Paramount has followed through on this, shuttering many popular cable network apps.
While they remain live in many app stores, opening the apps now gives a notice that the app has shutdown, and you can no longer access Paramount content through them.
BET+ will continue to be a standalone streaming subscription service right now. Also, the Smithsonian Channel app will continue to offer free content. Also, the CBS app will continue to offer Broadcast TV programming.
Update: It appears the BET app is still available on some devices like Roku and the Apple TV. It is no longer offered on others like Android.
The move follows Paramount letting customers know that it was shutting down the Showtime Anytime app on December 14. Paramount and merged Showtime content into its Paramount+ app, so the company could eventually be driving its audiences towards its subscription streaming service.
The company shut the apps down because of low adoption and usage, with most viewers still checking out the programming through cable or video on demand, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Paramount Network are “TV everywhere” apps that allow TV subscribers to access their content for free by verifying their pay-TV subscription. When they where originally released, most cable TV companies did not offer their own streaming apps. Apps like Comedy Central allowed cable TV subscribers to watch additional content when not at home with their cable TV box. Now that most cable companies offer their own apps this service is no longer needed. Shutting down these apps will help Paramount cut costs related to maintaining these apps. Also, with the number of cable subscribers going down and people moving to streaming, there may be less use for these apps going forward.