“Yellowstone” fans are still perplexed by the hit show’s absence from Paramount Plus. Find out exactly where you can stream the first 3 seasons here ahead of Season 4’s Summer 2021 release.
With Season 3 reaching the #1 ranking for a cable drama premiere and viewership, it’s truly perplexing that ‘Yellowstone’s home network, Paramount, would launch their new streaming service without their top show. In addition, fans with subscriptions to streaming giants like Netflix, HBO MAX, and Hulu, have been patiently awaiting the show’s arrival. None of these networks, however, will be bale to stream “Yellowstone” before Season 4 hits in Summer 2021.
So where, exactly, can viewers watch “Yellowstone” Seasons 1-3 right now? Currently, there are only two options:
“Yellowstone” is available to watch exclusively with NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. Fans with a membership to this streamer have unlimited access to Seasons 1-3. So the only network currently providing access as part of a package deal is, in fact, NBC’s Peacock. As of penning this article, an ad-free Peacock Premium subscription will set you back $9.99 per month. Or, viewers can chalk up $99.99 for a full year.
Secondly, “Yellowstone” Seasons 1-3 are available for individual purchase through Amazon Prime. A single episode costs $1.99, while an entire season is currently listed at $19.99. Prices are subject to change, however, so check Amazon Prime’s “Yellowstone” hub here for purchasing details.
With this in mind, and especially for “Yellowstone” fans looking to binge Seasons 1-3 ahead of Season 4, a Peacock subscription is definitely the most cost-effective solution.
Why is ‘Yellowstone’ Not On Paramount+?
This still begs the question, though: Why isn’t “Yellowstone” on Paramount Plus? Season 3’s enormous 6+ million viewership, one would think, would warrant their network holding onto rights for their new streaming service, right?
As is often the case with syndication rights, however, it’s not that cut and dry. In 2020, when ViacomCBS and Paramount Network merged into one entity, their big step into the streaming world was to create and launch Paramount+ (Paramount Plus). In addition, all content from CBS’s previous streamer, CBS All Access, made the jump to Paramount+. But Paramount’s own biggest draw, “Yellowstone,” was already part of a lucrative deal elsewhere. This is still the case ahead of Season 4, too.
As it turns out, the answer lies with current streamer, NBC’s Peacock. Before ViacomCBS’s big merger, Paramount had sold exclusive streaming rights to Seasons 1-3 of “Yellowstone” to NBC for their new streamer. And until that deal expires, Peacock will be the only entity including the show as part of a streaming package.
This deal is currently extending into Season 4, as well. Due to the longevity of their deal, our best guess is ViacomCBS is pulling in a massive syndication payday from NBC for rights to “Yellowstone.” As a result, they’re likely to continue this lucrative deal, instead of pulling the plug to gamble on more subscriptions coming into Paramount+ on “Yellowstone” alone.
In short: “Yellowstone” fans looking forward to revisiting Seasons 1-3, and watching Season 4, should probably get a Peacock subscription ASAP.
