By Helen Coster
(Reuters) – First came ESPN+. Then Apple TV+ and Disney+. Now there’s another “plus” in the streaming video world.
On Tuesday, ViacomCBS Inc said it would rebrand its expanded CBS All Access streaming service as “Paramount+” in early 2021, as it seeks to compete against rivals including Netflix Inc, Walt Disney Co’s Disney+, AT&T Inc’s HBO Max and Apple Inc’s Apple TV+.
ViacomCBS will also launch Paramount+ in international markets, starting with Australia, Latin America and the Nordics in 2021.
The rebranded service will include episodes and movies from ViacomCBS-owned BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures, including original series such as “The Twilight Zone” and “The Good Fight”.
It will cost $6 per month with limited commercials and $10 per month for a commercial-free option – the same prices the company has been charging for CBS All Access.
On an earnings call in February, ViacomCBS Chief Executive Officer Bob Bakish first announced that the company, which produces content for other streaming services in addition to distributing its own films and TV shows, would expand CBS All Access to create a “combined house of brands product”.
In August, ViacomCBS reported it had reached 16.2 million subscribers to its CBS All Access and Showtime OTT services, up 74% year-over-year. Disney+, by comparison, had 57.5 million paid subscribers as of June 27.
(Reporting by Helen Coster; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
