Paramount Global has considered ending the Showtime streaming service and incorporating its content into the Paramount’s flagship Paramount+ product, the latest indication that businesses are attempting to streamline their brands in a world that is becoming more streaming-centric.
The Wall Street Journal broke the story of the internal discussions on Tuesday and emphasised that they are still in the early stages. Although a source at Paramount acknowledged that discussions had taken place, they were part of a larger evaluation of distribution going forward, the source stressed. After decades, Showtime’s rich traditional pay-TV business is still going strong as a tried-and-true component of the linear bundle. As streaming ambitions increase and the linear base declines, the question now is what form it will take years from now. In the TV industry as a whole, there are changing relationships between pay-TV operators and programmers, especially in the premium cable sector where HBO, Starz, and Epix have all faced the same difficulties as Paramount and Showtime.
Giving consumers access to excellent Paramount content through a variety of services and platforms will help us maximise the value of our content investment, a company representative told Deadline in a statement.
Although the numbers are not frequently separated from the overall Paramount total of 64 million streaming subscribers (of which two-thirds are Paramount+), those familiar with the figures claim that Showtime OTT has increased by more than 200% over the past three years.
In international areas, Showtime programming is already available on Paramount+. As a part of Sky Showtime, a partnership with Comcast, it will soon launch in a few European markets. Launched in 2015, the same year CBS All Access, the predecessor to Paramount+, debuted, is Showtime’s over-the-top service.
In a recent initiative to bundle Paramount’s brands on the Par+ platform, which had 43.3 million users as of June 30, Paramount+ and Showtime were integrated into one streaming app. The package included a promotion that allowed new customers to join Paramount+ With Showtime for $7.99 per month for the entry-level, ad-supported service or $12.99 for the ad-free version. Within their app, existing subscribers could upgrade to the bundle. Outside of the bundle, Showtime and Paramount+ are still available separately. The monthly fee for Showtime’s standalone subscription is $10.99.
The current approach comes as Disney’s three-part package of Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu has found popularity since its 2020 release and as Warner Bros Discovery works to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single app. Even Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that Hulu will move to Disney+ after Disney fully controls Hulu in 2024.
The popular drama shows Yellowjackets, Billions, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and City on a Hill are among the current offerings on Showtime. The network also offers sports, documentaries, Vice, and the late-night programme Ziwe.
