CBS is one of the few networks that does not have a lot of its TV shows on streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video. The only ones that are available on it now are Life in Pieces, Hawaii Five-O, Person of Interest, Rules of Engagement, and the old Jericho TV series. The reason why you do not see shows like The Big Bang Theory and Scorpion on streaming services is because of CBS’s own streaming service called “All Access.”Â
The service allows users to watch their favorite CBS TV shows either the day after they have been shown or watch them live on the person’s iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or Apple TV. Of course, this comes at a price of $6.99 per month with commercials or $9.99 per month commercial-free.
All Access’s catalog is quite big for a service that has only been around for two years. The service has around 100 different programs that are new and old.
One feature that the service has is allowing users to stream their local station. This means that if you want to, you could stream the local right from your smartphone from this app, which can come in handy. However, the CBS has said that some of the local syndicated programming such as Dr. Phil or sporting events can get blacked-out.
As for the streaming quality, it’s really good. When I streamed the local news, the stream was about 1-2 minutes behind. This can be expected with streaming live events. However, it is kind of sad that it isn’t behind 15-30 seconds just because you are paying for this.
Update (4/17): The service has recently added films to its catalog of content to watch. This consists of five Star Trek films and 11 other films. So far, there’s still not a whole heck of a lot to watch.
CBS All Access receives 2.5/4 stars from me. The service has gotten off to a good start but needs more than just TV shows to bring in users. CBS gets the most viewership out of the five broadcast networks, so I expect the most out of them. It’s good that the service is available on the Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick, and Roku, but functionality could still use some work. Also, paying $9.99 for one network without commercials (on-demand) seems pretty steep to me.
Rating: 2.5/4 stars
