Paramount+ to Add 150 Original International Series, Movies as Expansion Continues
The streaming service Paramount+ is planning a major ramp-up of its original content offerings, aiming to launch 150 international original shows and movies by 2025, the company said Monday. Parent company Paramount Global also announced seven new movies and shows, from all over the world.
The announcement came as the service prepares to roll out in some new markets, starting with the U.K. and Ireland on Wednesday, June 22, with launches to come in Italy this September and France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in December. The service launched in Korea earlier this month.
As customer acquisition in the United States has become increasingly difficult as the market nears saturation, many streaming services have begun investing in international content, not only as they expand into new countries and territories, but also as a way to diversify their content offerings across the globe.
With the successes of “Squid Game,” “Money Heist,” multiple anime programs, and other international series and genres, it has become clear that investing in international content pays dividends on multiple fronts.
On Monday, Paramount+ also announced some upcoming titles, including “Murder of God’s Banker,” a docuseries about the murder of Italian banker Roberto Calvi in the 1970s, and its connection to Vatican banking scandals. Fans of “The Godfather” movies may recognize that real-life story as having inspired a plot point in “The Godfather, Part III.”
Also announced was a French fantasy horror series called “MASK: Marie Antoinette Serial Killer,” a German thriller called “A Thin Line,” a fact-based German drama called “The Sheikh,” an Italian true-crime drama called “CIRCEO,” the John Leguizamo-starring Mexican crime thriller “Sinaloa’s First Lady,” and the Mexican suspense thriller movie “One Must Die.”
“Paramount’s story began with the longest running studio in Hollywood, and today we span the globe with our worldwide production studios that create hits for audiences around the world, which now live all in one place: Paramount+,” the streamer’s EVP and international general manager Marco Nobili said. “As the service continues to expand internationally, there’s a great opportunity for content to travel globally, opening up a world of opportunities for talent and creators as we plan to commission 150 international originals by 2025 while delivering incredible value to subscribers on Paramount+.”
Formerly known as CBS All Access, Paramount+ has been showing growth of late. In the first quarter of 2022, the service added 6.8 million subscribers, to reach a global total of nearly 40 million. Those numbers were posted in the same quarter when Netflix lost subscribers for the first time in many years.
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.