Paramount+, reviewed

Paramount+ is the streamer you didn’t ask for and may already have. It’s cheap, it’s bundled into Sky Cinema, and its library is a mixed bag of films, drama and children’s programming. Then in 2027 it turns into a football channel on Wednesday nights, which is the most interesting thing about it by a distance.

What it is

Paramount+ is Paramount’s streaming service. In Ireland your contract is with Viacom International Media Networks U.K. Limited, the Paramount company named in the Irish terms of use. It’s a plain subscription app: films, drama and children’s programming from the Paramount catalogue, sold directly and bundled with Sky Cinema.

What you get

Three tiers. Basic is one stream in Full HD with adverts. Standard is two streams without adverts and with downloads. Premium is four streams in 4K with HDR, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It runs on Fire TV, Google TV, Apple TV, smart TVs, consoles and the web, so the usual sticks apply.

The bundle is the important bit: Paramount+ Basic comes free with Sky Cinema in Ireland. If that’s your household, stop here and go and find the login.

The football is the future bit. From 2027/28 Paramount+ holds the Wednesday first-pick Champions League match in Ireland, with Prime Video on Tuesdays. Until then the Champions League is spread across RTÉ, Virgin Media, Premier Sports, Prime Video and TNT; the Champions League and films and series guides keep the current split straight.

What it costs

Prices checked 2026-11-10 on the service's Irish pricing page.

Annual billing is offered at a discount. Paramount’s Irish page doesn’t show the yearly figures, only “from €5.99” a month, so check them at sign-up before paying for a year Paramount+ prices (official source, opens in a new tab).

The catch

The library is patchy. It’s a catalogue you dip into rather than live in, and a month at a time will exhaust the bit you care about. Basic has adverts and a single stream, so a family will land on Standard. The Champions League doesn’t arrive until autumn 2027, so don’t buy it for the football yet.

The small print

When to have it, when to cancel

• Sky Cinema household: you have Basic already. Use it.
• A specific series: the 7-day trial, then a month, then cancel. It rolls monthly.
• Keeping it: annual on Standard is the sensible tier, once the annual prices are confirmed.
• Autumn 2027 onward: it becomes a Wednesday football subscription, and the finder will price it against the rest of the Champions League routes when the rights start.

Verdict

Paramount+ pays us nothing. At the Basic price it’s the cheapest paid streaming service we review, and that’s the honest reason to have it: it costs less than it looks like it should. For the next year it’s a nice-to-have. From 2027 it’s a Champions League decision, and a different review.