CBS announces standalone digital subscription service


Just a day after HBO announced its own standalone subscription service, which will allow customers to pay for video on demand without needing to purchase a traditional cable package, CBS is following suit. The network unveiled "CBS All Access" today, its own subscription service that will cost $5.99 a month and offer over 5,000 episodes of classic CBS TV in addition to current series.
So what, exactly, does that $5.99 get you? From the press release:
* Full current seasons of 15 primetime shows with episodes available the day after they air.
* Unprecedented ability to live stream local CBS stations in 14 of the largest markets at launch, with more to be added as affiliates join the new service.
* Full past seasons of eight major current series, including THE GOOD WIFE, BLUE BLOODS and SURVIVOR.
* More than 5,000 episodes of CBS Classics, including every episode of STAR TREK, CHEERS, MACGYVER, TWIN PEAKS and CSI: MIAMI.
* Access to exclusive additional content for CBS Television's biggest special events, such as THE GRAMMY® AWARDS, THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS and THE VICTORIA'S SECRET FASHION SHOW.
* Ability to stream the BIG BROTHER 24/7 Live Feeds service for no additional fee when the show returns next summer.
* Advertising-free environment for all CBS Classics.
One notable exception from that list: NFL games will not be available on the service, though CBS is "currently in discussions" with the league, The New York Times reports.
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Don't want to binge on every season of The Big Bang Theory or CSI: Miami? Good news for lovers of shows like Homeland and Penny Dreadful may be on the horizon, as CBS CEO Leslie Moonves told the Times that a similar service for Showtime, the premium network CBS owns, may be coming in the "not too distant future."
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Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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