Malcolm Owen
Coupled with a surge in content, ViacomCBS is rebranding its CBS All Access service in early 2021, renaming it "Paramount+" in time for an international launch of the service.
Revealed on Tuesday, the rebrand will replace the name of the existing CBS All Access service to "Paramount+" in the first half of 2021. The name, borrowing from the major film studio, uses the same "Plus"-style convention as others, including Disney+ and Apple TV .
CBS All Access is currently offered as part of the first Apple TV+ bundle, which includes both the service and Showtime for an additional $9.99 per month.
The rebranding effort is part of the video streaming service's expansion in content, including ViacomCBS' wider portfolio of news, sports, and entertainment brands, one that was rumored in February. The expansion will bring the total amount of content up from approximately 20,000 episodes of shows to more than 30,000.
The additional episodes will include shows and original series from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, and more. Plans for additional new original series were also revealed.
"The Offer" will be a 10-episode series based on the "never-revealed experiences of making 'The Godfather,'" written and executive produced by Michael Tolkin. Spy drama "Lioness" will follow a young Marine recruited to befriend the daughter of a terrorist to bring down a criminal organization from within.
"MTV's Behind the Music" will be revived to examine the 40-biggest artists of all time. A true-crime docuseries "The Real Criminal Minds" and a revival of BET's "The Game" are also planned.
The change in name for the service will also take place ahead of an expansion out from the United States, with an international launch set to take place in 2021 in Australia, Latin America, and Nordic countries. The regions are part of an initial expansion, with further regions expected to launch soon after.
"With Paramount+, we're excited to establish one global streaming brand in the broad-pay segment that will draw on the sheer breadth and depth of the ViacomCBS portfolio to offer an extraordinary collection of content for everyone to enjoy," said president and CEO Bob Bakish.
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10 Comments
Does it include Paramount’s film library?
When are they going to join Movies Anywhere?!
I have been using CBS All Access on the Apple deal with Showtime, and have been surprised at the scope of material available.
Someone should put the same effort into Paramount Network, which makes Apple TV+ look like HBO in its heyday.
Guess we can expect this to not be an Apple TV Channel much like how HBO dropped its support once Max came out. Shame because I really enjoy using CBSAA as a TV Channel.
Will the Paramount+ offering be stripped of about 50% of it's programming like the CBS All Access offering is here in Canada? I'm paying the same price for 50% less.