CBS All Access is the American media giant’s over-the-top streaming service. Designed to rival the likes of HBO and Hulu, it aims to provide a mix of original shows and third-party content in a similar way to current streaming king Netflix.
Most importantly, in the US it’s the home of Star Trek: Discovery and Picard, making it a one-stop shop for the latest and greatest in modern Star Trek series.
How to sign up to CBS All Access
Viewers in the US can choose between two tiers of subscription, both of which offer up to two simultaneous streams. Paying $5.99 a month gets you access to its full library with occasional adverts, while the full $9.99 package provides an ad-free experience with support for offline downloads.
It is also available as an add-on for Amazon Prime subscribers. The e-commerce giant offers a number of Amazon Channels, add-on subscriptions meaning you can access other networks via your Prime membership.
Both these options feature one-week free trials, but are exclusive to customers across the pond. Unless you have a payment method registered in the US, you will be unable to complete the sign-up process.
Right now there’s an even better offer though. To celebrate the end of Picard season one you can currently get a full month of CBS All Access for free using the promo code GIFT. The offer expires on 23 April, so don’t wait too long to grab it.
The only real option for watching CBS All Access in the UK is through the loophole of gift cards. These are available in $25, $50 and $100 variants, and can be accessed through the likes of eBay and PayPal.
To redeem, you just need to enter a PIN on the CBS website, meaning you can avoid the pitfalls of having to directly input your payment details.
How to watch CBS All Access with a VPN
If you have got around the obstacle of signing up to the service, the issue of watching content from the UK (or any other country outside the US) remains. The easiest way to overcome this is through the use of a virtual private network (VPN).
This allows you to use the internet anonymously by changing your IP address, meaning you appear in a different location and your activity cannot be tracked in the same way.
Many paid services, such as Nord VPN, allow you to appear in almost any country around the world, whichever is most beneficial to you at that moment. On Nord (any many similar services) it is as simple as signing in and waiting for it to connect to the location of your choosing
Some VPNs are even free these days, but we’d recommend checking out our list before you commit to one of the services.
As always when using a VPN to access content abroad, be aware that you’ll be in violation of CBS All Access’ terms of use, so the company could theoretically cancel your account if it realises you’re using a VPN. Proceed at your own risk.
Is CBS All Access worth it in the UK?
For UK viewers, subscribing to CBS All Access might not be as attractive as it seems. Star Trek fans should be aware that the Discovery series is also available on Netflix, while the Picard TV show is on Amazon Prime within 24 hours of its initial broadcast.
Netflix is also home to popular TV shows including The Big Bang Theory and Cheers, so it’s only really worth investing in the service if flagship original series such as The Good Fight and The Twilight Zone appeal to you.
Via Techadvisor