Showtime’s Stand-Alone Online Service Goes Live

You don’t need a cable or satellite subscription any more to subscribe to Showtime. The CBS-owned premium network says its stand-alone online service, announced last month, is now open for business — beating its deadline to be up before this Sunday’s premieres of the new seasons of Ray Donovan and Masters Of Sex.

The price varies a bit depending on what platform you use to subscribe. It costs $10.99 a month on Apple, and Sony PlayStation Vue. But those who pay $7.99 for Hulu’s premium service can add Showtime for an additional $8.99.

In addition to Showtime’s live stream of the east and west coast feeds, online subscribers can access on demand every season of the channel’s original series, and additional programming including movies, documentaries and sports.

CBS investors are eager to see how many people sign up for the new service. Nomura Securities’ Anthony DiClemente this morning slightly lowered his earnings estimates for the quarter that just ended, in part due to “the infrastructure investments and marketing expenses” the company incurred before it could begin to collect revenues from subscribers.