Add Showtime to the list of premium cable networks who are splitting from the cable companies.

Article Continues Below

CBS President Les Moonves told investors this morning that Showtime is planning to offer a standalone streaming service which won’t require having a cable subscription.

The move comes as HBO prepares to launch HBO Now, a standalone streaming service which will launch just before Game of Thrones’ season 5 premiere in early April. It will cost $14.99/month.

Showtime currently has a streaming service called Showtime Anytime which lets you watch their programming live and on demand through the internet and devices like Apple TV. Unfortunately, Showtime Anytime currently requires that you be subscribed to the network as an add-on to a cable subscription.

Moonves didn’t suggest a price or date for the launch, but did say it’ll arrive in the “not-too-distant future.”

He also revealed that they’ve seen a lot of interest from providers in light of Apple and HBO Now’s announcement on Monday. “We got a number of calls yesterday from existing players and digital players that we’ve talked to in the past.… The content we have at Showtime is also premium. I don’t think there’s any way, shape, or form for anybody to look at [the launch of HBO Now] other than as a major positive for premium cable,” he said.

Showtime is the home of great shows like Shameless, Homeland, The Affair, and a huge catalogue of movies.

In light of services like HBO Now, DirectTV’s new Sling TV, Hulu, and Netflix, it’s becoming more and more compelling to drop cable television all together.