Paramount+ drops ‘Showtime’ from its top tier’s name

Paramount is rebranding the top tier of Paramount+ by adding the word “Premium” to its name and dropping the Showtime reference.

Since the summer of 2023, the top tier of Paramount+ has been known as “Paramount+ with Showtime,” combining the offerings of the two services in a mostly ad-free format. 

Earlier in 2023, the company announced plans to merge the two brands’ operations, with the new name initially being used to refer to the linear channel before being applied to the top streaming tier later that year.

The new name for that tier, “Paramount+ Premium,” was announced to subscribers June 23, 2025. It was also updated on the streamer’s website and other collateral, though the streamer is warning customers that the name may not update everywhere immediately.

Pricing for both Paramount+ and Paramount+ Premium has not changed from it was before the rebranding.

One reason Paramount opted to drop the Showtime name from its prominent position is that select network programming is available to standard-tier subscribers.

“The premium plan name reflects the broad and diverse offerings across both plan tiers. Showtime programming remains an important part of Paramount+, and is still prominently represented on the service,” the streamer notes on a FAQ on its website.

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All that said, Paramount will still use the “Paramount+ with Showtime” branding for the linear offering available through cable, satellite and vMVPDs. 

The rebranding announcement comes closely on the heels of Warner Bros. Discovery saying it will rename its streamer, Max, back to HBO Max later in 2025, a move that left many scratching their heads.

The HBO Max name was first used from when it launched in 2019 until 2022. 

Max itself also updated its logo’s look earlier in late March 2025 that many said made it tie more into the black and white color scheme the HBO linear offering had been known for. The basic shape of the logo remained unchanged, however, from the 2023 version that used the trademark dot in the middle of the HBO “O” within the Max “a.”

It now appears that update may have been part of a phased approach to the ultimate change back to HBO Max.

Paramount+ didn’t need to update its logo with this change since it primarily affects only a part of the streamer. 

Keeping the Showtime part of the linear network’s name does make certain degree of sense. The strategy — which still feels clunky — does have the advantage of steadily reminding linear viewers that Paramount+ exists.

That approach was likely formulated as a way to keep the streamer’s name in front of subscribers so, if they eventually drop their paid TV subscription, the name still has staying power.