‘VICE’ Becomes Latest Casualty of Content Removals at Paramount Streamers
“Vice” has come full circle. The plucky media disrupter that challenged giants in the news industry in its heyday has fallen from grace, and is now so far removed from its glory days that it it has been pulled from Paramount+ with Showtime.
The series becomes just the latest in a lengthening line of shows to be cut from the Paramount streaming library. Paramount’s content reaping first started in the last week of June, and more title removals have been announced in waves. “Vice” is just the latest show to see itself dumped from the service, as titles like “Inside Amy Schumer,” “Star Trek: Prodigy” and “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” have also been given the axe in recent days.
“Vice” first hit airwaves in 2013, when it called HBO home. The series followed Vice journalists around the world, into places most reporters usually avoid to cover topics most news editors shy from. The show ran for six seasons on HBO, and after its cancelation in 2020 it was picked up by Showtime. There it remained for a further three years, and was one of the shows that migrated to Paramount+ with Showtime when the new service launched on June 27.
The series won an Emmy for its second season, and has received Emmy nominations each of the past three years as well. But awards nominations don’t necessarily translate to viewers, and Paramount Global has seen enough data in that respect to convince it that “Vice” no longer has a place on its streaming platform.
“We are refining our content offering to deliver the best streaming experience for subscribers,’ a Paramount spokesperson told The Streamable about content removals. “This is consistent with our content strategy since launch and across our business, which ensures we make smart, efficient choices, informed by audience data and insights.”
The removal of “Vice” and other titles is just another cog in a series of moves designed to keep Paramount’s streaming machine running. The company is also considering selling off other cable channels and streaming services, and is accepting final bids for BET Media Group — which includes the cable channels BET and VH1 as well as the streamer BET+ — this month. Paramount has also reportedly explored selling off its kids streaming service Noggin. All of these decisions are intended to help Paramount reach peak losses, and start reaching for profitability.
There’s a chance “Vice” could end up streaming somewhere like Pluto TV for free, or even on Vice Media’s cable channel Vice TV. But Vice Media has bigger problems at the moment; the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections in May, which means fans may well have heard the last of the “Vice” TV series.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.