Netflix will face yet more competition in the U.K. in June with the launch of Paramount+, which has until now been exclusively available in the U.S.
Paramount’s streaming service is home to a number of popular hit shows including Star Trek: Picard, the TV adaptation of the iconic Xbox video game Halo, plus revivals of children’s classics such as iCarly.
During an earnings call, ViacomCBS and Paramount Global said they have worked to narrow the time frame for a U.K. launch and have their sights set on a June 22 kick off. In addition, Paramount+ will also launch in South Korea that month, with France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria to follow in the second half of the year. India is also slated as a new market, though it won’t launch there until next year, reports say.
Maria Kyriacou, who is president of ViacomCBS International Australia, Israel and UK, said the addition of Paramount+ to its existing portfolio of free-to-air, pay TV and streaming services will increase the range of choice for its audiences in the U.K. and Ireland.
“Paramount+ will be a one-stop destination for Paramount’s biggest brands, where fans of all ages can find exclusive original premium content, global hits, and discover a world of favourites from Paramount’s vast catalogue,” Kyriacou said.
The new service is launching in a very crowded U.K. video streaming marketplace that includes a struggling but still dominant Netflix, plus Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. The launch of Paramount+ may well be appreciated by fans of specific shows it carries, such as Halo and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but for others who may already be forking out more than one subscription per month, Paramount + could be a tough sell.
Before announcing Paramount+’s global expansion, ViacomCBS made a lot of shows available to global audiences via other platforms. For instance, Star Trek: Picard has been available in the U.K. via Netflix for some months already. No doubt, fans of that show will be pretty miffed that they have to pay yet another subscription to keep on watching.
Paramount+ will be priced at £6.99 per month or £70 for a full year, though existing Sky Cinema subscribers will get full access at no extra cost. The service will be available on a range of platforms, including smart TVs, mobile devices, via a web browser and also on streaming platforms from Apple, Amazon, Google and Roku.
