CBS All Access may not have a lot of original content but between the Network streaming app and the premium Showtime streaming service CBS can brag of 8 million subscribers total. The breakdown did not show how many people subscribe to either channel separately but the number is still impressive. Compare such numbers to Hulu, which has been in the game a lot longer only having say, 450k live TV subscribers or Sling TV boasting 2.42 million.
Hidden in these numbers is how many people subscribe to the streaming service via other streaming services. Hulu for instance allows users to subscribe to Showtime at a discount as do other streaming services like DirecTV Now. A more interesting number may be to see how many users signed up for CBS All Access on its own.
The most interesting thing about the numbers is that the 8 million subscribers mark was met 2 years ahead of time for the combination of streaming services. Now CBS hopes to have as many as 25 million subscribers in three years. That may be setting expectations too high. But as more and more people drop cable and realize they want to see something like a live sports event, the more are likely to throw in 6 dollars to access it.
The difference between CBS All Access and the number of skinny bundle services on the market is that at the moment CBS is home to some of the top rated content on TV. It should be noted that The Big Bang Theory will end its run this season meaning a major draw will leave the stage, though you may be able to safely assume that the archived episodes will be streamed exclusively from the parent company’s service. As well as any sort of spinoff shows that may come along staring cast members who are not ready to move on from their man child roles as is Jonathan Parsons.
