[NewsPoster]

Three months after HBO announced an Apple-exclusive trial for its HBO Now on-demand streaming app that did not require an existing cable or satellite subscription, CBS has announced that it will do the same for its own premium movie and original programming cable channel, Showtime. A new Showtime app for iOS and Apple TV will launch on July 12, and cost $11 per month following a 30-day free trial.

Like the HBO offering, Showtime will be exclusive to Apple for a unspecified period of time before arriving for other platforms. Also like HBO, the company offers both current movies as well as an extensive catalog of current and previous original programming, with shows such as Dexter, Weeds, Californication, Homeland, and United States of Tara, along with original documentaries and other special interest programming.

The formal announcement is likely to be made at Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference during the keynote June 8, and like the HBO Now announcement an executive from CBS is likely to appear on stage to announce the new service. HBO Now, which costs $15 a month after a free 30-day trial, has already seen wide interest from former cable subscribers, and has been exclusive to Apple for the past two months, but will soon expand to other platforms as well.

[driven]

Sports being the exception, cord cutting is about to get a lot easier.

[Charles Martin]

Albeit not a lot cheaper ... getting these two apps alone will cost $25/month, then there's presumably going to be lesser channels that will do the same thing for $5-10 a month ...

[DiabloConQueso]

Don't forget the required internet connection to access those apps, which can run in the $30 to $80 range.

Here's the current, run-of-the-mill, monthly cord-cutter's setup:

$30 to 50 internet connection
$15 HBO Now
$11 Showtime Anytime
$7.99 Netflix subscription
$7.99 Hulu Plus subscription

That's $71.98 to $91.98 per month, not counting any mobile device airtime plans (iPhones, etc.) for streaming on-the-go, or sports "League Pass" subscriptions for the sports fanatics.

Fast "triple-play" (phone, internet, cable) packages that include movie and sports channels, DVR capabilities, and "on-demand" streaming of movies and TV shows can be had for $99 per month in most areas of the US, just for comparison's sake.

[Charles Martin]

I can only comment on my own setup, but I don't subscribe to any of those services except for the $45/month Internet connection (included in my rent), so I really did save substantial money by just giving up cable TV altogether a few years back. I haven't, I gather, missed a lot -- though I did enjoy BBC's Global iPlayer ($80 a year) and there are podcasts of a number of shows that I enjoyed (like The Daily Show, which is available a day after broadcast for free), so I'm not entirely out of the loop. I have thought about buying a month of Netflix once or twice a year when I feel like binge-watching something.

Now if Turner Classic Movies offers a standalone app, THAT I would subscribe to. Likewise, probably BBC America. Other than that, I seem to be living just fine without TV (your mileage may vary), and I use the money saved to support the local performing arts instead.

[Inkling]

Paying money to waste time watching movies? Sorry, but that makes no sense. I gave up on television almost two years ago. I'm not going to let that time-waster in through the back door with these apps and subscriptions.

[Grendelmon]

Originally Posted by Inkling 

Paying money to waste time watching movies? Sorry, but that makes no sense. I gave up on television almost two years ago. I'm not going to let that time-waster in through the back door with these apps and subscriptions.

You're joking, right?

[pairof9s]

I have to disagree with the assessment that "cord cutting" is not that much cheaper.

First, the internet connection is a constant. You have it, irregardless of your television option. I can't imagine most people choose one or the other. So disregard that cost.

Second, it's not really "cord cutting" that's the advantage here, but rather the selection of channels via choice. With cable especially, but even DirecTV and Dish, you're tied into dozens of channels that you probably don't want or watch due to bundles they limit you to. These new options (HBO Now, SlingTV, Netflix, Hulu, even Apple TV) allow you to narrow the amount of channels you are willing to pay for. I'd rather pay $40-$60 per month for the 20-30 channels I really like than $120 for 150 channels of which 70+ I'll never use. (Who really "watches" the Radio Disney channel?!)

[just a poster]

The margins in this industry...

An oldie but goodie:

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2010/08/25/apples-rumored-99-tv-rentals-are-beyond-unimpressive/

"The chart above shows wholesale prices that make up a typical cable subscription that has become part of a subscriber's monthly bill. When you break down which channels you watch versus which pay for, you'll quickly wish for an a la carte pricing scheme. The industry average per channel in the chart above is a mere $.20 but there's also well over 70 channels grouped into that average."

[wg45678]

As a Cord cutter, I find more than enough to watch with Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video and broadcast. That and the occasional Redbox rental is good enough for me. Sports - I can do broadcast TV. Theses days I find little time to watch anyway.