
CBS All Access original Picard revived the Star Trek character
ViacomCBS is to expand the subscription element of its CBS All Access platform.
Bob Bakish, president and CEO, promised an investor call “the rebrand and relaunch of a transformed product”.
Bakish described the rebranded streaming service would be a “compelling foundational service for some consumers and a differentiated complement to what some other consumers already have.”
The existing slate of the CBS on-demand library and an expanding slate of originals would combine with Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Smithsonian, MTV, BET and Paramount including 100 Paramount films being added this week.
Bakish promised CBS All Access would have “first-window content” from each of its brands. There would also be live sports from NFL, NCAA, PGA and UEFA.
Meanwhile, ViacomCBS’s Pluto delivered its best-ever quarter in the United States as domestic monthly active users increased by 55% year on year to more than 24 million at the end of the quarter.
Pluto, which also has a presence in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and 17 Latin American countries, is planning a further international rollout in Brazil, Spain, France and Italy.
Pay streaming options have also seen significant growth with subscriptions to CBS All Access and Showtime OTT now reaching 13.5 million.
In a new deal with Google, YouTube TV will distribute ViacomCBS channels BET, CMT, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, MTV, TV Land, VH1 and Nickelodeon from the summer. In all 14 new channels will be added to the platform.
The streaming service already carries CBS, CBS Sports and The CW alongside premium subscription services including Showtime.