Paramount+ is looking to level up by making more of its content free.

Paramount’s flagship streamer plans to expand access to movies and shows available to people without a subscription, according to an internal presentation seen by Business Insider.

This so-called “free front porch” feature would allow people in the US to watch select movies and shows for free by signing up for a free account, according to the filing.

The launch of the free tier is expected to begin in the third quarter with the Paramount+ mobile app, and was listed as a “Q3 Product Priority” during a public meeting on Wednesday, along with a plan to test microdramas.

Business Insider reported in January that Paramount+ was exploring a push toward “free content” after seeing an internal presentation submitted by Dan Reich, Paramount+’s head of global product and design.

Paramount already has free streamer Pluto TV, which it is putting on the same technology platform as its namesake streamer in a process called “convergence.” Paramount+ has also had a limited selection of free TV episodes on its website.

Although paid streamers generally don’t allow access to shows without a subscription, Apple TV allows users to try shows and Business Insider reported that Disney+ is exploring free content.

Hollywood is increasingly seeing the value in free as YouTube and other free-to-access services gain viewers amid price increases in paid streaming services.

A free tier can “drive acquisition and recovery”

Expanding the free offer on Paramount+, which costs $8.99 a month with ads or $13.99 without ads, would give new users “less friction to navigate and watch” and “more reasons to sign up,” according to the presentation.

By requiring users to sign up with their emails to watch free content, Paramount gets potential customers one step closer to subscribing and can send them marketing emails to convince them to pay.

The slideshow said this strategy can “drive acquisition and recovery” (bringing back former customers who canceled) by creating habits and giving them a reason to keep the Paramount+ app on their phones.

Paramount said it A/B tested its iOS app and found that “moving the paywall didn’t hurt paid starts” or new subscriptions.

Paramount+ will allow users to watch its short-form vertical video without registration or subscription, according to the filing.

While Paramount is “defining success goals” for the free porch with its finance and marketing teams, the presentation indicated that it will evaluate its success by how many account registrations it generates and by the marketing emails it sends.

In addition to attracting potential customers to its shows, Paramount can also use its free tier to increase revenue and advertising inventory. The presentation said that monetizing free content with ads was a strategic goal.

Show samples can “drive reach and visitation frequency,” according to the presentation.

The best things in life are free.

David Ellison’s company is trying to gain ground on Netflix and compete with YouTube by pushing free streaming and short-form content, including microdramas.

According to Nielsen, audiences are increasingly leaning toward free streamers, which have significantly increased their share of American TVs in recent years compared to their paid peers.

The top three free streaming services (YouTube, The Roku Channel and Tubi) had an 18.7% audience share on U.S. TVs in April, the latest month for which Nielsen data is available. A year earlier, that figure was 16.8% and in April 2024 it was 12.7%.

By contrast, big paid streamers like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu have only slightly increased their audience share over the past two years.

Meanwhile, Paramount+ and Pluto TV have struggled in the year since April 2025, with their audience share falling from 2.4% to 2.1% in April 2026.