Paramount+ $5-a-month Essential launches today. What you need to know

If you’re interested in signing up for Paramount+ but don’t want to cough up $10 a month for its commercial-free plan, good news: Starting today, Paramount+’s more affordable ad-supported plan becomes even cheaper.

The Paramount+ “Essential” plan launches today for $4.99 a month, or a buck less than the old Limited Commercials plan that migrated over from CBS All Access.

Besides adding a “limited” number of ads, the Essentials plan drops a few features compared to the $10-a-month Commercial Free plan, and it’s also missing an important perk from the old Limited Commercials plan—which, by the way, isn’t totally going away.

So, before you sign up for the Paramount+ Essential plan, here’s what you need to know.

Your live local CBS channel isn’t included

Unlike the pricier Limited Commercials plan, the $5/month Essential tier won’t let you stream live programming from your local CBS affiliate. For that privilege, you’ll need to step up to the Commercial Free plan.

Now, the old Limited Commercials plan did offer access to local CBS stations. So, is that going away? Not quite.

If you’re on the Limited Commercials plan now, you can stay on it

Current subscribers to Paramount+’s Limited Commercials plan who want to keep streaming their local CBS station without stepping up to the Commercial Free tier are in luck.

According to the Paramount+ support site, Limited Commercials subscribers can stick with the plan—and keep streaming local CBS affiliates—as long as they remain signed up for it.