Here’s the Best Internet Speed for Paramount+

To get paramount performance out of Paramount+, you need decent internet speeds.

Aim to get download speeds of at least 25Mbps per person in your household to ensure smooth streaming when you cue up your favorite movie or TV series on Paramount network’s streaming platform. So if you have four people in your household, an internet speed of 100Mbps is right on the money.

Internet speed is crucial to a good viewing experience, because streams with video resolution of 1080p and 4K take up a lot of bandwidth. Still, everyone’s speed needs are different. Take a look at our guide below to get the full look at the best internet for Paramount+, including the best internet providers to pick from.

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Paramount+ speed basics

Although you’re technically capable of watching Paramount+ with speeds as low as 4Mbps, you want to factor in the totality of your internet usage when deciding the speeds you need to enjoy all the content on the Paramount network.

Many people tend to surf online with their phones or tablets while watching stuff on their smart TVs, and many households are home to multiple users who may all log into the same streaming service on separate devices. (Think: You’re enjoying The Lost City while your kids have PAW Patrol on in the next room.)

To get the best performance out of Paramount+, you should aim to set aside a chunk of bandwidth per every user in your household. If you have 100Mbps for a family of four, that gives you 25Mbps each—that’s adequate speed to cover all your streaming (and gaming and studying and Zooming) needs. Consider bulking up these speeds to 50Mbps per person or more if you also regularly do bandwidth-guzzling things like hosting Twitch livestreams or uploading influencer content to YouTube.

Three golden rules for Paramount+ streaming:

• The more users and devices you have, the more internet speed you need.
• For 4K streaming, reduce buffering with a fiber-optic or cable internet plan.
• For slow connections and hotspots, save money and reduce buffering with the Ad-Free or With Ads plan.

Here are your minimum speed needs for Paramount+

According to Paramount+, you need at least 4Mbps speeds to stream content on its platform. That’s enough to support a shoddy 480p stream on one device at a time, but the reality is you need significantly faster speeds if you want to stream on multiple devices at once or do other things online while streaming. You also need faster speeds to support 1080p or 4K video quality.

What speed do you need to stream movies in 4K, Dolby Vision, or HDR10?

You need much faster speeds than normal to stream video in 4K, Dolby Vision, and HDR10 video formats. In most cases, Paramount’s purported minimum of 4Mbps simply doesn’t cut it. Instead we recommend at least 50Mbps per person, if not more.

Paramount+ offers select TV shows and movies in these three premium video formats. They give you much better video resolution, greater depth, striking contrast, and a carnival of color—vastly improving your viewing experience for the high-flying fighter jet scenes in Top Gun: Maverick and the fast-paced excitement of Paramount’s live sports broadcasts.

But you’re going to need premium internet to match premium video quality—and to do that we recommend getting a fiber or fast cable internet plan.

Get fiber internet or a fast cable plan for the best 4K performance

Fiber internet gives you incredibly fast speeds over a reliable connection. Not only is it ideal for streaming, but it’s also excellent for gaming and working from home.

Even a basic fiber plan gives you ample bandwidth to cover a range of activities—including streaming on multiple devices at once. Best of all, fiber plans often cost as much as (or even cheaper than) cable and DSL plans with slower speeds. That means you’ll have more money to set aside for streaming subscriptions and an upper-tier Paramount+ plan.

If you can’t get fiber internet, cable internet comes in second place as an ideal pick. Cable providers have come a long way in improving their network speeds, and a cable internet plan gives you excellent download power for all the streaming you like.

Best internet plans for 4K video streaming

What if you have slow internet? Never fear—you can still watch Paramount+

Paramount+ still works even if you have slow internet—you just don’t get the same video quality as you would on a top-speed Wi-Fi plan.

When you’re watching content on Paramount+, the platform automatically adjusts the video resolution based on the capabilities of your home internet. A cheaper plan means lower speeds; to compensate, your app adjusts to a lower video resolution, either HD (720p) or even SD (480p). The video still can look good that way, but you’re not as likely to enjoy full 4K or Dolby Vision capabilities, which may put a damper on visually-striking movies.

Best internet plans for budget Paramount+ users

You can definitely stream Paramount+ when you have a satellite internet plan, but you won’t get the same video quality as usual. You also need to be mindful of how much data you use. Satellite internet comes with strict data limits, and you can easily burn through a month’s supply of data in a couple days if you’re not careful.

Check with your satellite internet provider to see how much data you get and use the Armstrong data calculator to budget out how much you can watch on Paramount+ every day before burning through your data limit.

Here’s how to adjust the video resolution on Paramount+ app downloads

There is no way to manually adjust Paramount+ video quality on a browser or TV app, but you can manually switch between different resolutions for video downloads on Paramount’s cell phone app. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open the Paramount+ app.

Step 2: On the Paramount+ homepage, tap the More menu button in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Step 3: Tap Settings and scroll to Download Video Quality.

Step 4: Choose between High Definition or Standard Definition.

Choose the best Paramount+ plan

Parmount+ has two plans to choose from: Essential and with SHOWTIME. The Essential plan costs only about $6 a month, but it comes with ads. The version with SHOWTIME costs $12 a month, doesn’t have ads, and, of course, includes a ton of extra content from SHOWTIME.

The Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan is the best deal overall, since it comes with an extra service while costing a bit less than the premium plans of a lot of other streamers. But stick with Essential if you want to save some money—a few ads while watching movies is a small price to pay for great value.

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