Yahoo Finance ViacomCBS Teams With Sky For Paramount+ Europe Launch In 2022
ViacomCBS Networks International is partnering with Comcast-owned Sky to deliver the launch of streaming platform Paramount+ in a host of European territories.
The service will roll out in UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria across 2022. The agreement is part of a wider multi-year distribution deal that will see the extended carriage of ViacomCBS’ portfolio of pay-TV channels and the renewal of Sky as an ad sales partner in select markets.
More from Deadline
Sky Cinema subscribers will be able to access Paramount+ at no additional cost. It will add more than 10,000 hours of content to the Sky platform. Other Sky customers will need to activate the service as an add-on.
Also under the deal, Paramount Pictures’ films such as the Mission Impossible and Transformer franchises will remain available on Sky Cinema in the UK and will join Sky Cinema in Germany and Italy in 2022.
Paramount+ will also be available in the same territories directly through the app for iOS and Android and across supported connected TV devices and OTT platforms. Pricing and local content will be announced further down the line.
ViacomCBS appears to be achieving what WarnerMedia has struggled to do in Europe to date by securing access into key European markets for its in-house streaming platform. The latter’s pre-existing deal with Sky, which runs into 2025 in territories including the UK, Germany and Italy, is proving a barrier to the rollout of HBO Max.
ViacomCBS today unveiled its Q2 earnings, with revenue rising 8% to $6.56BN, beating Wall Street estimates. It also announced that Paramount+ is up to 42 million subscribers globally.
“We are thrilled to expand our long-standing partnership with Sky to continue delivering ViacomCBS’ leading portfolio of premium entertainment brands to Sky customers and importantly bring Paramount+ to new audiences in all Sky markets, including the UK, Ireland, Italy, and GSA,” said Raffaele Annecchino, President and Chief Executive Officer, ViacomCBS Networks International. “This transformative distribution deal is key to accelerating our global ambitions in streaming while also supporting Sky’s strategic objectives to better serve audiences with greater flexibility in how they consume our content across all platforms.”
Stephen van Rooyen, Executive VP & Chief Executive, UK & Europe at Sky added: “This is another example of how we are innovating for our customers and further aggregating all the best apps and content together in one place on Sky Q, giving them more great TV to watch than ever before. Paramount+ is an excellent service with a huge range of fantastic films and TV series, and our new, broader agreement with ViacomCBS will benefit both businesses.”
Best of Deadline
Fox Fall Premiere Dates: 'Masked Singer', '9-1-1', Animation Domination, Three New Series & More
Broadway Returns: A Complete, Updated Roster Of Opening Dates, Venues And How To Buy Tickets
U.S. Covid-19 Update: More Transmissible Delta Variant Now 20% Of New Cases; Kids Most At Risk
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
