ViacomCBS prepares to launch new streamer, expanding All Access offering

Star Trek: Discovery

ViacomCBS is preparing to bolster its OTT operations by launching a new streamer that will offer shows from its All Access SVOD as well as content from its array of cable networks.

The streamer, which is likely to be available commercial free and ad-supported, will include Viacom brands such as Comedy Central, Paramount Network, BET and MTV. These will join existing CBS All Access programming including Star Trek: Discovery and The Good Fight.

The service, which is likely to be discussed during ViacomCBS’s fourth quarter results on 20 February, could also include a premium version that includes content from Showtime according to CNBC, which broke the news.

The new streamer’s potential launch, which has not been formally confirmed by ViacomCBS, follows the merger of Viacom and CBS completed late last year.

It is set to bolster CBS’s All Access service already available and could cost around $10 per month, according to US reports. AVOD service Pluto TV, which Viacom acquired prior to the CBS merger, could also be rolled into the new service, as well as Paramount Pictures’ films such as The Godfather.

CBS was an early mover in the direct-to-consumer market, launching All Access in 2014, but the service only counts around 10 million subscribers, which also includes customers of Showtime. Any rebooted service will face stiff competition from incumbents such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, as well as more recent entrants including Disney+, Apple TV+ and HBO Max.

It’s the latest development for ViacomCBS, which has in recent weeks been shifting its senior management ranks – appointing NBCUniversal Content Studios’ vice-chairman George Cheeks as president and CEO of CBS – and expanding its reach. The company recently unveiled plans to launch AVOD service Pluto TV in Latin America, with a wide range of content in Spanish and Portuguese.