Paramount+ Launches Today with Live Sports, Breaking News, and a Mountain of Entertainment

Rhea-AI Summary

ViacomCBS launched Paramount+, a new streaming service, featuring live sports, breaking news, and a vast array of exclusive originals, movies, and series from its renowned brands such as CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Paramount Pictures. The service debuts with over 30,000 episodes and substantial original content including The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run and 60 Minutes+. Paramount+ offers two pricing tiers, starting at $4.99, and plans an international rollout across 18 countries. This launch signifies ViacomCBS's commitment to leading in the streaming space.

Positive

• Launch of Paramount+ strengthens ViacomCBS's market position in streaming.
• Offers over 30,000 episodes and a diverse array of original programming, enhancing subscriber value.
• Two pricing tiers provide flexibility for consumers, catering to different market segments.
• International rollout is planned for 18 Latin American countries and Canada, expanding potential subscriber base.

Negative

• Competition in the streaming market is intense, posing challenges for subscriber acquisition.
• Initial pricing may limit revenue if subscribers opt for the lower-cost tier.

Paramount+, the highly anticipated streaming service from ViacomCBS, launched today with an unparalleled content offering that bundles live sports, breaking news, and an expansive collection of exclusive new originals, hit series, marquee franchises and popular movies. Featuring more than 30,000 episodes and countless films from ViacomCBS’ family of world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel, Paramount+ is home to premium entertainment for the whole family.

“The launch of Paramount+, which builds on our legacy of innovation and superior storytelling, is a significant milestone for ViacomCBS that demonstrates our commitment to being a global leader in streaming,” said Tom Ryan, President and Chief Executive Officer, ViacomCBS Streaming. “By combining fresh original content with live and on-demand programming and an established library of titles from world-class entertainment brands, we have created an unrivaled service that offers live sports, breaking news and entertainment for all audiences.”

Premiering today with the launch of the service is a slate of new originals, including The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, the first-ever all CGI SpongeBob motion picture event; Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, a prequel series and the first-ever spinoff of SpongeBob SquarePants; MTV Documentary Films 76 Days, the Oscar Shortlisted documentary that looks at life in the earliest days of the COVID-19 crisis in Wuhan, China; For Heaven’s Sake, a docuseries blending comedy and crime for a unique take on uncovering the truth; The Real World Homecoming: New York, a reunion special with the original New York cast in the iconic NYC loft; 60 Minutes+, a new form of the flagship series that reveals the stories behind the news through original reporting and captivating interviews; and Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning out the News, the second season of the animated daily news satire series.

These titles join a growing slate of originals currently on the service exclusively, including The Good Fight, Why Women Kill, The Stand, Star Trek: Lower Decks, No Activity, Coyote and more.

Coming this Spring to Paramount+ is an extensive lineup of live sports including every UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League match, culminating with the UEFA Champions League Final on May 29; coverage of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, featuring all of CBS’s games throughout the tournament highlighted by the National Championship game and Final Four with first-round coverage beginning on March 19; and CBS Sports' coverage of The Masters.

The Paramount+ slate will also continue to expand with 36 exclusive originals coming to the service in 2021, including the following titles that will debut this spring: Rugrats, an all-new series featuring Nick’s iconic babies, back together with the original voice cast and an all-new CG animation style; No Activity, a half-hour police comedy that will transition from live action to animated for season four; and Behind the Music, the groundbreaking and prolific music documentary series returns with several new episodes and the best of the vault remastered. Beginning late spring, the Paramount+ film library will grow to over 2,500 titles including recent hits from Paramount Pictures, such as Bumblebee, Crawl, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Gemini Man, Like a Boss, Pet Sematary, Playing with Fire, Rocketman and Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as popular movies from MGM, such as Bill & Ted Face the Music, Skyfall, The Addams Family, Child’s Play and Valley Girl.

The reimagined service, built on the strong foundation of CBS All Access, features live linear programming, plus a deep and growing content portfolio that spans the best in scripted dramas, kids and family, sports, news, documentaries, comedy, music and reality. Starting today, subscribers can stream:

• A rich library of nearly 7,000 beloved kid’s episodes, including favorites from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. like SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, PAW Patrol, Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Henry Danger and Rugrats: All Grown Up; as well as Paramount+ originals, such as WildBrain’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Boat Rocker’s new Danger Mouse and new editions of Lassie, George of the Jungle and Mr. Magoo from DreamWorks Animation’s Classic Media.
• CBS programming, including primetime series such as The Amazing Race, All Rise, Young Sheldon, Clarice, The Equalizer, Blue Bloods, Evil and more, in addition to late night and daytime CBS shows. Plus, every prior season of 15 hit CBS series including Survivor, NCIS, Hawaii Five-0 and Criminal Minds.
• A massive comedy catalogue of over 6,000 episodes, including always-trending Comedy Central series like The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Chappelle’s Show, Reno 911!, Key & Peele, Inside Amy Schumer, Crank Yankers and more.
• Over 5,000 episodes from the biggest reality shows, including popular MTV series such as RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, The Real World, Teen Mom, The Challenge, Jersey Shore and The Hills, among others.
• The complete Star Trek Universe, including CBS All Access originals such as Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks, plus all six classic Star Trek series including Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: The Voyager.
• A library of fan-favorite movies, including film franchises such as Indiana Jones, The Godfather and Mission: Impossible; comedies such as Tommy Boy and Rat Race; horror films like The Ring and Pet Sematary; romantic comedies such as Failure to Launch and Kate & Leopold; and classics like Roman Holiday.
• Popular episodes from BET series including The Game, Real Husbands of Hollywood, Everybody Hates Chris and Single Ladies; also unmissable documentaries from the Smithsonian Channel such as The Green Book: Guide to Freedom, Disasters at Sea and Aerial America.
• Episodes from classic series including Perry Mason, The Twilight Zone Classic, I Love Lucy, Beverly Hills 90210, Frasier, Family Ties, Cheers, Happy Days, The Love Boat, The Odd Couple, Melrose Place, Macgyver, Taxi and The Brady Bunch.
• Breaking news and impactful journalism from the award-winning CBS News team, including renowned CBS News programs, such as 60 Minutes, CBS Sunday Morning, Face The Nation, CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell and CBS This Morning, plus live streams of local affiliates in over 200 markets across the U.S. and the 24-hour streaming news service CBSN featuring live, anchored coverage.

How to Stream

Paramount+ has two pricing tiers available to U.S. subscribers that marry the best of live and on-demand programming. The premium tier, at $9.99, is available now and combines live sports, including NFL games, soccer and more; breaking news through CBSN; CBS' live linear feed; and commercial free, on-demand entertainment options spanning Paramount+ originals to the full suite of current and library shows and movies with 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision and mobile downloads. In June, Paramount+ will introduce a new ad-supported tier, at $4.99, that offers live NFL games, news and entertainment, but no longer includes local live CBS station programming. A $5.99 ad-supported tier, which includes live CBS programming, is available until June at which point only the $4.99 and $9.99 tiers will be offered to new subscribers.

All Paramount+ subscribers will have access to a seamless user interface, enhanced curation and discovery, cross-platform dynamic play functionality, personalized homepages, content categories and central hubs for ViacomCBS’ brands. Additionally, each subscription option will include parental control capabilities and up to 6 individual profiles.

Consumers can subscribe to Paramount+ online at ParamountPlus.com; via the Paramount+ app for iOS and Android; and across a wide number of platforms, including smart TVs, connected-TV devices, online, mobile, gaming consoles, and leading OTT providers. Paramount+ will also be distributed on major platforms in local markets internationally. The new Paramount+ app will begin rolling out across platforms today. For more details on Paramount+, please visit ParamountPlus.com.

International Rollout

ViacomCBS will bring Paramount+ to international markets with initial debuts in 18 Latin American countries and Canada today; the Nordics on March 25, 2021; and Australia with a rebrand and expansion of 10 All Access later this year.

With production capabilities across five continents, strong distribution agreements and local relationships and expertise around the world, Paramount+ will leverage ViacomCBS’ leading global reach — including the largest global broadcast footprint — to drive streaming growth and international expansion. ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) will build on its momentum in prized formats, and as one of the top global producers of Spanish-language content, to bring exclusive series to market for fans of kids and family, scripted dramas, reality and more. Subscription prices will vary by market, but Paramount+ will be available to international audiences at a compelling price point.

* Click HERE for art

Paramount+

Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service from ViacomCBS, combines live sports, breaking news, and a mountain of entertainment. The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world’s biggest and most popular soccer leagues. Paramount+ also enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream ViacomCBS Streaming’s other live channels: CBSN for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis, and ET Live for entertainment coverage.

For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.

About ViacomCBS:

ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC; VIACA) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic consumer brands, its portfolio includes CBS, Showtime Networks, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+, Pluto TV and Simon & Schuster, among others. The company delivers the largest share of the U.S. television audience and boasts one of the industry’s most important and extensive libraries of TV and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, ViacomCBS provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution and advertising solutions for partners on five continents.

For more information about ViacomCBS, please visit www.viacomcbs.com and follow @ViacomCBS on social platforms.

VIAC-IR

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210304005556/en/

FAQ

What is the launch date of Paramount+?

Paramount+ launched on March 4, 2021.

What content does Paramount+ include?

Paramount+ features live sports, breaking news, and over 30,000 episodes including exclusive originals and popular movies.

What are the pricing tiers for Paramount+?

Paramount+ offers two pricing tiers: $9.99 for premium and $4.99 for an ad-supported plan.

Which countries will Paramount+ be available in?

Paramount+ will initially launch in 18 Latin American countries and Canada.

What original shows debuted with Paramount+?

Original shows include The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run and 60 Minutes+.

What sports events will be available on Paramount+?

Paramount+ will stream live sports, including UEFA matches and the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.