CBS is one of the largest broadcasters and TV networks in the USA. It forms part of the ‘Big Three,’ and NBC and ABC being the other two.
It delivers some of the most popular TV shows you can find, and shows that viewers love to watch repeatedly.
It was only a matter of time before they joined the online streaming and VOD bandwagon and brought out their own service. That is what we will look at here.
What is CBS All Access?
CBS All Access was finally released back in 2014 by CBS Interactive, this makes it a relative newcomer to the scene, but this shouldn’t divert you from how much this service offers viewers over conventional viewing.
The streaming service offers a vast amount of content that includes 10,000 on demand episodes.
These you can watch on demand, or live. You may even catch shows you have never seen before on regular TV.
As a subscriber, viewers can access some CBS All Access Original Series such as Star Trek Discovery and the up and coming The Twilight Zone.
Live TV is available 24/7, which includes CBS sports like the NFL. Viewers can easily sign in and gain access to CBS news via the CBSN 24/7 news channel.
Where Can I Watch CBS All Access?
All viewers can watch CBS programs the following day to their airing; these can stream to a vast number of devices, so they can be watched on the go as well as at home.
Devices supported are as follows:
- You can use the service online
- iOS and Android devices
- Roku and Amazon devices
- Windows PCs and gaming consoles
- Google Chromecast and Apple TV
- Many more…
Shows Available on CBS All Access
CBS has the rights to far more shows than viewers may realize. There are tons of classic shows you may not consider such as Taxi, Twin Peaks and Cheers among many others.
While these are great to watch repeatedly. It is the new shows people are keen to feast their eyes on.
You can watch every Star Trek episode ever aired, you can catch Big Brother (Season 21 coming soon), Twilight Zone, How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory among many others.
In the case of BB, subscribers can watch every single episode as well as live streaming of behind-the-scenes content.
Signing up for CBS All Access
When you sign up for CBS All Access, it doesn’t require too much information to create your account.
However, it will want you to be inside the United States to access the service. It is at this point, you find out you will need a VPN if outside the country, but there are other reasons for using a VPN service.
Some of the sports broadcast may be subject to the infamous ‘Blackouts’ this means you may be in an area and you can’t access your favorite team’s game.
A VPN that can change to city level allows you to bypass these restrictions. You can catch every game of your team, no matter where you are.
To create an account is straight forward, and all you need to add is go through the following:
The first step is to select your plan. You have limited commercials, which shows ads. This comes in at $5.99 per month. It does come with a 1-week free trial.
The more expensive package also comes with a 1-week free trial and is commercial free unless live streaming and then ads will be included.
This package is $9.99 per month and allows you to download videos and play offline, which is ideal for mobile devices.
- First Name and Last Name
- Email address
- Create a password
- Birthdate
- Gender
- US Zip Code – if you happen to be out of the US, find one on the internet, or use a zip of someone you know.
Under this is a checkbox, tick this to say you have read the terms and understand about the trademark of CBS Broadcasting, etc.
When it comes to pay, you have a couple of options. This can also be one area that causes problems for some.
You have all major credit cards as your payment option, but the service asks for State and zip code, if this isn’t US, it may kick you out of subscribing.
You also have PayPal as an option, which should work if it doesn’t ask for location checks of your account.
If you have the relevant information, then these options will work just fine. If either doesn’t work, there is option number three.
CBS All Access gift cards. You can redeem these against your subscription, and these are easy to purchase online. There will be no checks on location for billing information.
Accessing CBS All Access with a VPN Service
The question of how to get CBS All Access without cable is the reason many viewers take these options.
You can now see how top VPN services help access this streaming service, and any other while you are outside the USA.
Not to mention the blackouts we mentioned earlier.
VPN’s take your connection and encrypt it. As soon as you start the client and set it to a location in the US, you will appear to be in that location.
ExpressVPN being the best streaming VPN allows users to select by city where they have servers, hence no sporting blackouts, just select a city from the drop down and carry on watching the game.
It is advisable to have a VPN provider before you attempt signing up for CBS All Access, it isn’t illegal to access the service from outside the country, but they frown upon it.
The sign-up procedure for ExpressVPN is easier than the one for CBS All Access. You can complete it within 30-minutes, and they don’t care where your country of residence is.
The services offer more payment options and gives a 30-day money back guarantee. This you cancel any time before the month expires, so you can use it like a free trial.
Sign up for this, and then sign up to get CBS All Access shows with your one-week free trial, and before you know it, you can watch CBS online free.
