ViacomCBS Announces It’s ‘Accelerating Plans’ for an Expanded Streaming Service, Will Rebrand CBS All Access
CBS All Access is getting a makeover. During ViacomCBS’ Q1 2020 earnings call today, CEO Bob Bakish revealed the company was “accelerating plans” for “an expanded subscription service.”
The expanded service will include content from Paramount, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and various other ViacomCBS cable channels. While they’re not certain about a launch date as yet, the company is looking to launch the service within the next 12 months, according to Deadline.
While most services specialize exclusively in video-on-demand, the new streamer will deliver both live and on-demand news and sports programming through CBS’ 200 affiliate networks.
“We believe audiences want their entertainment on demand and their news, sports and events live,” Bakish said.
Also, unlike most platforms, the expanded streaming service won’t be built from the ground up.
“First, we are working from an already developed tech platform in CBS All Access. We are not building from scratch,” Bakish explained. “Second, almost every dollar we invest in linear content across the company will benefit the service with varying windows. Third, our original strategy is designed to leverage our massive library of IP, fueling growth through a consistent and growing cadence of tent-pole series.”
Reports of a new ViacomCBS streaming service first came out in February. At the time, CNBC suggested that the streaming service could bundle Showtime for a premium. Though not much else has been said, the new service is expected to be less than $10 for the base product, with higher tiers ad-free and with Showtime bundled.
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