Paramount+ Sets UK Launch Date; Reveals India 2023 Plans

deadline.com:

Paramount+ is to launch in the UK and South Korea next month and will be in India next year, Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish has revealed in the past hour.During the Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS) Q1 earnings call that has been taking place in the U.S., Bakish updated on a wealth of Paramount+ international launches that will see the deep-pocketed streamer based in more than 60 markets by the end of this year.June 22 is the launch date for the UK, one of Paramount+’s key markets where it has also ordered much of its international content.

South Korea launch will take place during the same month, following a landmark tie-up with CJ E&M revealed at the backend of 2021.Launches in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria will follow in the second half of this year.In the UK, Paramount+ will cost £6.99 ($8.77) per month or £69.90 ($87.71) per year, featuring on Sky as part of a multi-platform distribution agreement that also includes the extended carriage of Paramount’s portfolio of pay TV channels.Shows such as Mayor of Kingstown, The First Lady and The Man Who Fell to Earth will be available from the start, along with big U.S.

hits including Yellowstone and South Park. IndiaParamount+ will subsequently open in the untapped growth market of India in 2023 via its Viacom18 platform, a huge territory where the likes of Netflix, Disney and Amazon Prime all have presences.

Viacom18 is a JV between TV18 and Paramount Global and operates a number of Paramount channels.Given its recent capital infusion, Paramount+ is “poised to become an even more significant streaming player in the [Indian streaming] market,” according to Bakish.“That is a fundamentally attractive market, a market that is already at scale and has a