Now with a strong foothold in the over-the-top (OTT) television market, CBS (NYSE: CBS) is shaking things up a bit. First, subscribers to its CBS All Access on-demand streaming video service can now select an ad-free option for $9.99 a month, a $4 per month increase over the basic subscription price, reports Variety. The reason for the ad-free plan is to provide consumers with choices.

“The addition of a commercial-free plan gives our subscribers even more ways to customize their CBS viewing experience – from which devices to whether they watch in or out of the home, and now with commercials or without,” said Marc DeBevoise, president and chief operating officer of CBS Interactive, in the official announcement.

The experience won’t be completely ad-free, however. CBS will still play commercials during live TV programs available in more than 150 local markets. On-demand viewing will be primarily ad-free, but may include “promotional interruptions,” said CBS. Current subscribers can upgrade to the ad-free version by logging into their CBS All Access account online.

By comparison, Netflix is completely ad-free and its two-stream HD plan is also priced at $9.99 a month. Hulu recently – and quietly – discontinued its free service. It now offers two subscription plans: a $7.99 per month plan with limited commercials and a no-commercial plan at $11.99 per month.

In related news, CBS Interactive announced that CBS All Access is now available on Microsoft’s Xbox One, so CBS All Access can now be accessed in a number of ways: Windows 10, Android and iOS devices via the CBS app, online at CBS.com, and through Xbox One and Xbox 360, Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku players and Roku TV.

“Overall, our subscriber base is spending more than half their time streaming CBS All Access content on connected devices, and that increases to 75 percent when watching CBS All Access’s live local TV feeds,” said Rob Gelick, senior vice president and general manager of digital platforms for CBS Interactive.

In addition, CBS is launching a new version of its flagship reality show Big Brother. This one will be called Big Brother: Over the Top, and it will launch exclusively on CBS All Access on Sept. 28. Hosted by Julie Chen, the 10-week season of Big Brother: Over the Top will follow the direction of past seasons but with all new houseguests and in a reimagined way, specifically for multiplatform users. This will include opportunities for Big Brother fans to interact with the houseguests in new ways, utilizing more interactive features including 24/7 live feeds, chat and impact votes.

“We are very excited to embark on this new adventure for BIG BROTHER,” said Executive Producer Allison Grodner. “With the unique streaming format, not only will viewers get to see everything play out live, including ceremonies and competitions, but the audience will also participate in the show like never before. Each week will offer unprecedented interactive opportunities that will have an immediate impact on the game.”

Big Brother: Over the Top will be CBS’s third program created specifically for CBS All Access. Star Trek: Discovery and the spinoff of The Good Wife came first.

Insider Take:

CBS was one of the early adopters of the over-the-top (OTT) TV platform, and it has been successful thus far, boasting 1 million subscribers for CBS All Access and another 1 million for its Showtime OTT service as of the end of the third quarter. These numbers will only grow by adding more options to the service, including the new ad-free version, accessibility via Xbox One and more exclusive programming, and help CBS get closer to its goal of 8 million subscribers by 2020.

As we said last month, CBS has this OTT thing figured out. They know what their viewers want, and they are able to plan changes to anticipate their future needs. We are particularly impressed that they are creating demand by taking incredibly popular programs with built-in audiences and bringing them exclusively to CBS All Access. We hope other OTT services, particularly those entering niche markets, will follow CBS’s lead.