• by Wayne Friedman , August 31, 2016

CBS is starting up a commercial-free option for its CBS All Access digital video platform.

The consumer price tag will be $9.99 per month. CBS will also continue its existing service of $5.99 a month, which airs TV commercials.

Marc DeBevoise, president/chief operating officer of CBS Interactive, stated: “The addition of a commercial-free plan gives our subscribers even more ways to customize their CBS viewing experience.”

CBS All Access, and its sister Showtime streaming service, each have around 1 million subscribers. CBS All Access launched in October 2014; Showtime’s over the top digital streaming service started up in July 2015

For many analysts, this would seem to keep pace with other high-profile subscription video on demand options, such as Hulu, that also have a commercial-free option and a plan with commercials. Bigger OTT competitors -- such as Netflix -- continue to be commercial-free.

CBS All Access much anticipated new “Star Trek” original series, “Star Trek: Discovery,” as well as a spinoff of “The Good Wife” and a new digital edition of “Big Brother” will also be available ad-free.

CBS All Access offers live-streaming of local CBS Television stations, available in more than 150 markets. CBS All Access will continue to run the same commercials as CBS over-the-air broadcast, as well as select on-demand shows, which include TV program promos.