Paramount+ Launches in Italy With Slate Including Roberto Benigni, Carlo Verdone and Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Tulsa Rider’

variety.com:

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Paramount+ launched in Italy Wednesday evening with a star-studded gala at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios.

The streaming service unveiled a rich slate of Italian originals featuring top local talents Roberto Benigni and Carlo Verdone alongside Hollywood titles such as Sylvester Stallone crime drama “Tulsa King.” “Italy is a country that has proved very receptive to streaming services,” said Paramount+ EVP and international general manager Marco Nobili, speaking to Variety ahead of the gala. “On-demand consumption has almost doubled in the country over the past three years.”  Nobili also underlined the historically strong presence of what is now Paramount Global in Italy with “MTV and our pay-TV channels and a strong partnership with Sky.” Italy is considered a major testing ground for Paramount+, which launched in South Korea, the U.K.

and Ireland in June and will next expand to Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France in coming months. The Paramount platform is expected to launch in 45 markets by the end of the year.

Paramount is pricing the Italian service at $7.99 a month or $79.99 annually. But Paramount+ is going to be available for Sky Cinema subscribers at no additional cost.