CBS might follow in Hulu’s footsteps by adding an ad-free option to its own streaming app CBS All Access. It could make the service more palatable for Star Trek fans when the new series launches in 2017.
During a conference call with analysts to go over CBS’ third quarter earnings, CBS Corp. CEO Les Moonves dropped hints about an ad-free version of CBS All Access, which currently costs subscribers $5.99 a month. It “is absolutely something we are thinking about,” adding that the ad-free version might cost $9.99 a month, reports Reuters.
That would be a bit cheaper than the commercial-free Hulu, which launched in September and costs $11.99 a month. Hulu with ads costs $7.99 a month.
CBS is looking to make All Access a major player in the streaming market, even though it currently only carries CBS-owned shows and shows that air on the network. The service will likely become more popular because of the new Star Trek series that will only be available there. The series will launch in January 2017. While the first episode will air on CBS, the remaining episodes will only be streaming.
Moonves hasn’t said how many people have subscribed to All Access, but he said Wednesday that September saw the biggest monthly subscriber growth yet.