Paramount+ will introduce a $6.99 per month, or $61.99 per year, tier with ads in Canada and Australia in April and June.
Additionally, the streaming service is expanding its premium plan in Europe, starting with a €10.99 per month, or €97.99 per year, offering in France this month. This move into Europe follows launches in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico last year.
Paramount+ international general manager and executive vice president Marco Nobili stated in a release, “Our pricing strategy and a market-by-market approach to our offering is important to give customers choice, flexibility, and value. The success of the ‘Premium’ tier in Canada, Australia, and Latin America has been great, and I believe this offering will help us attract new subscribers in Europe as well. By launching ‘Basic (with ads)’ in our international markets, we can also provide our incredible content at a more competitive price to reach more people and expand our advertising offerings to partners. The ‘Basic’ tier allows us to continue to lead in value by offering consumers a more affordable entertainment choice for the whole family.”
Paramount’s International Markets Advertising Sales president Lee Sears added that the new offerings would enhance the value to its partners by allowing advertisers to buy across its global franchises, series, and films through its digital platform, EyeQ, alongside the breadth of Paramount’s premium video inventory in a comprehensive and impactful way.
The basic with ads plan, which provides HD viewing and the ability to stream on one device at a time, will give subscribers in Australia and Canada access to Paramount+ film and television titles, including “Halo” Season 1 and 2, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and the final season of “Star Trek: Discovery,” a new eight-episode original series called “A Gentleman in Moscow,” “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” “Knuckles” and hit series from the Taylor Sheridan universe like “Special Ops: Lioness,” “Tulsa King,” “Yellowstone,” “1923,” “1883” and “Mayor of Kingstown.” Australian customers will also have access to the A-League/AFC Champions League.
In addition to the basic with ads plan, Paramount offers a standard plan for $9.99 per month, or $89.99 per year, in Australia, which offers full HD viewing, as well as the ability to stream on two devices at once and downloadable content. In Canada, the standard plan will be priced at $10.99 per month, or $97.99 per year, starting in April. Meanwhile, France offers a standard plan for €7.99 per month.
The premium plan, which allows subscribers to stream on four devices at once and download, offers a viewing experience in 4K, UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos and is available for $13.99 per month, or $124.99 per year, in Australia and Canada.
The launch is part of Paramount Global’s effort to increase earnings by 2024. In a memo from January, CEO Bob Bakish said they would focus more on the Canadian and Australian markets, where its content has the “greatest revenue potential.”
Other actions include reducing the number of international and local original content, using content licensing more, and decreasing the workforce. Last month, the company announced it would dismiss up to 800 employees.
Paramount, which revealed a total of 67.5 million streaming subscribers in its fourth quarter of 2023, decreased its direct-to-consumer loss to $490 million, which is an $85 million improvement from the previous year. The company predicts that its streaming business will become profitable in the domestic market in 2025.
