Paramount Plus sets the course for the European launch. In the existing markets, the first quarter was very successful and we now have over 40 million subscribers.
The fragmentation of the streaming market is also continuing in Germany. After Paramount Plus was able to gain 6.8 million new subscribers in the USA in the first quarter of 2022 and now has a total of around 40 million paying customers, the offer is being expanded – also to Germany. The service will initially be launched in the UK and Ireland in the summer, as it is easier for US companies to make the jump across the pond in the English-speaking area. The prices are already known: Brits should pay GBP 6.99 per month or GBP 69.90 for an annual subscription. Irish prices, part of the euro zone, were not mentioned.
However, the prices should then match what can be expected in Germany, Austria, France and Italy in the second half of 2022. Switzerland and Luxembourg were not explicitly mentioned, although German and French are mainly spoken there. In Europe, Paramount Plus plans its program on a pure subscription model, while in the USA there is also advertising financing. There the subscription costs USD 4.99 or USD 49.99 plus VAT and is therefore significantly cheaper. In the euro zone, prices are currently expected to be around 8 to 10 euros per month. To what extent that is competitive will also depend on the content.
Paramount Plus basically has access to the content pool of Paramount Global – the parent company of Viacom and CBS. One of the most famous brands is of course Star Trek. In addition to the film and animation studio, the group also includes the TV division of the CBS Corporation, the pay-TV broadcaster Showtime and the channels MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Co. One of the reasons why Paramount Plus in the What went so well in the last quarter is probably the 1883 series, celebrated by critics and viewers alike and mentioned in the same breath as series like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones. In Europe you will also have the back catalog in the program. As soon as content deals with other providers have expired. Star Trek, for example, is currently running primarily on Netflix in Germany.
To counteract the fragmentation, there is a deal with Sky. Anyone who has subscribed to Sky Cinema will initially get Paramount Plus at no extra charge. However, the battle for viewers is also becoming increasingly tough in this country, as providers are pushing onto the market with their own “over the top” services. Disney Plus did it; HBO still licenses to Sky, but the umbrella company Warner will probably already set the course for the launch of HBO Max. NBC launched Peacock in the US, but plans for Europe are not yet known.
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