Cord-Cutters Rejoice: Standalone Showtime To Launch In July For $11/Month

MV5BMTkwMjc3MjM0MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzA3NDQxNw@@._V1__SX1217_SY650_CBS is finally making good on its promise to launch a standalone, Internet-only version of Showtime so that fans of shows like Homeland and Penny Dreadful (and people who want to re-experience the hilarious death spiral of Dexter’s final season) won’t need a basic cable subscription.

The service will apparently just be called “Showtime,” and is slated to launch in early July for a monthly rate of $10.99. The service will also offer live access to both East and West Coast feeds of the Showtime channel.

What’s the not-great news? Just like the recent debut of HBO Now, the Showtime service will initially be an Apple exclusive with subscriptions being sold through iTunes. And similar to that digital offering, the plan is to expand to other platforms and providers in the near future.

“Going over-the-top means Showtime will be much more accessible to tens of millions of potential new subscribers,” said CBS CEO Les Moonves. “Across CBS, we are constantly finding new ways to monetize our programming by capitalizing on opportunities presented by technology. This works best when you have outstanding premium content – like we do at Showtime – and when you have a terrific partner like Apple – which continues to innovate and build upon its loyal customer base.”

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