Paramount Plus through Apple TV

Your statement is unfortunately a bit ambiguous.

The Apple TV app Paramount+ Channel, as started in the Apple TV app, is a subscription through Apple.

The Paramount+ subscription started in the separate Paramount+ app is a subscription through Apple.

But these subscriptions are not exchangeable (mostly*).

In How to Watch, this would be distinguished as “Paramount+ tv channels” (=Apple TV app Channel) vs. “Paramount+” (=separate app) vs. “tv” (=Buy from the iTunes Store).

However, if you subscribed through the Apple TV app Channels, then you may get a complimentary additional Paramount+ account for use outside the Apple TV app. Please visit www.paramountplus.com/apple and follow the instructions. [Paramount+ offers this feature — most other channels do not.]

It doesn’t work reversed: subscriptions started outside the Apple TV app, are not valid for Channels.

When you access the Paramount+ Channel inside the Apple TV app, then your subscription to that channel should be recognized, and you shouldn’t be asked to purchase for any selected show there.

If you use the Search feature, however, then iTunes Store items may show up, which do require a purchase. From a show’s Details page, verify that that the correct content provider is selected under How to Watch. If multiple content providers carry the same show, then possibly your subscription content provider may not always be selected automatically.

Similarly, if Paramount+ decides to stop streaming an older season, then the iTunes Store copy may be the only source available.

Urquhart1244 wrote:

When you access the Paramount+ Channel inside the Apple TV app, then your subscription to that channel should be recognized, and you shouldn’t be asked to purchase for any selected show there.

If you use the Search feature, however, then iTunes Store items may show up, which do require a purchase. From a show’s Details page, verify that that the correct content provider is selected under How to Watch. If multiple content providers carry the same show, then possibly your subscription content provider may not always be selected automatically.

Similarly, if Paramount+ decides to stop streaming an older season, then the iTunes Store copy may be the only source available.

It feels like this should be the way it works, but more frequently I, myself, am finding that it is not the case. For instance I selected a Paramount/CBS show that I frequently watch and it shows up in my Watch Now banner on Apple TV and for the most part it opens fine, no worries. And then it will stop. When it stops, it's asking to install Paramounts app on my phone, fine, and then I am to "sign up" or "log in" or in this case "restore a subscription" As I've been a subscriber via Apple TV for over a year I chose "restore a subscription" but now it's an iTunes subscription, not an Apple TV subscription and for reasons I am ill-equipped to explain this translates into not having any subscription and therefore I am unable to watch the show.

I do not understand why the back ends of these apps can not more effectively communicate with each other. They are all Apple subscriptions which ought to work on Apple products with minimal to zero difficulty.

I could tell you why “they’re totally different”, but that wouldn’t really help you.

What would help, is if you confirmed your channel subscription with P+, to get a no-cost additional P+ account for use outside the Apple TV app so that you can watch in either app at will.

Urquhart1244 wrote:

However, if you subscribed through the Apple TV app Channels, then you may get a complimentary additional Paramount+ account for use outside the Apple TV app. Please visit www.paramountplus.com/apple and follow the instructions. [Paramount+ offers this feature — most other channels do not.]