Paramount+ has officially replaced CBS All Access on March 4, promising much more content in the future, according to Comicbook. Now offering networks like MTV and Comedy Central among others, the newly launched streamer hopes to compete with more dominant and successful streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Hulu.
CBS All Access users have now automatically witnessed the updated version of the streamer from their devices, where they can watch either online or via the app with their subscriptions automatically transferring over. Of course, exclusive titles such as The Good Fight, The Twilight Zone, and Star Trek: Discovery will be available on Paramount+, alongside SEAL Team, SWAT, FBI, and Clarice. Upcoming titles will include The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, and a revival of The Real World. Some users have already taken to social media, detailing their experiences with the streamer.
In a press release regarding the launch, President and CEO of ViacomCBS Bob Bakish said, “Paramount is an iconic and storied brand beloved by consumers all over the world, and it is synonymous with quality, integrity and world-class storytelling. 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,” via Comicbook. Paramount+ will soon become the streaming home for movies like A Quiet Place Part II, Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible 7, and more as the app develops.
Sites such as IGN and The Verge have input their opinions on the new streamer while users have begun suggesting potential spin-offs and deleted scenes that could be inputed into Paramount+’s content.
Meanwhile, some users are critiquing the streamer for its lack of organized content.
Michael Morries, Guggenheim Securities analyst who gave his opinionated reaction to the launch, referred to Paramount+’s projected earnings, “We see the company as well-positioned among peers, with a $15 billion total content budget target, $5 billion of which will be allocated specifically to the differentiated sports/news/entertainment streaming service,” via The Hollywood Reporter. Bakish is estimating 65 million-75 million global streaming subscribers and $7 billion in streaming revenue by 2024. Some analysts remain skeptical yet supportive, “We believe Paramount+ remains real contender in the streaming wars, but it is still to be determined if it becomes a winner. Near-term, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the stock continue to be rewarded for its aggressive spending plans into a defined streaming strategy, although our enthusiasm is somewhat tempered by an already meaningful move ahead of this investor event,” said J.P. Morgan’s Alexia Quadrani, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Paramount+ is set to contain more than 25,000 episodes and more than 300 movies. It’s now available on the app store and online with subscriptions starting at $5.99/month.