Last June, Paramount Global pulled out all the stops at London’s spacey Outernet location for the UK premiere. The studio flew in 21 stars including Michelle Pfeiffer and Sylvester Stallone to present their Paramount+ premiere to an eager audience. It seems that no money was spared in the beginning of the project.
A year later, when Paramount Global releases goods Stateside and drops original programming in order to save money, the money abroad seems to be going well. Signs of the company’s growth seem to be coming from its international division, which has entered more than 35 markets so far, starting with Western Europe, Australia, South America and Canada. So far, 85 local startups have been placed on the platform (some are already in service, while others are in development or soon) – and these commissions are not going anywhere, according to top brass.
“We’ve always been very careful about how we build these projects and how much we build, where we build them and the part we build them at, so we’re continuing the way we’ve always been,” he said. Marco Nobili, senior VP and global general manager of Paramount+, says Miscellaneous.
“We’ve created the right shows in the right places, and we’ve given them the marketing support to make them successful,” adds Nobili. “We don’t see any indication that this is below what is required to be recorded at this time.”
Paramount+ reached 60 million subscribers worldwide at the end of Q1, while Europe “has grown two or three times depending on the country,” Nobili points out. Much of this comes down to greater exposure through the development of distribution partnerships with multi-market players such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung and Sky, and local partners such as Canal + in France and Virgin in the UK.
The development of Paramount + in Europe is an interesting study provided by the service that was launched together with the release of SkyShowtime, a joint service of the company and Comcast that sells markets that do not have Paramount + in place. This includes the Nordics and Central and Eastern Europe as well as Spain. Since Paramount Global is in the process of merging Showtime into Paramount+, it is surprising that the brand will remain popular as a representative in Europe, but Nobili confirms that it needs to improve its financial management.
“[The SkyShowtime markets] they all have their own language, their own culture, their own meanings, so you have to invest a lot to make the project successful, “says the head of Miami. “Partnership with Sky has allowed us to invest a lot – because it is not only the Paramount + part of the building, but also NBCU and Sky – and create a service that allows this new investment to cost more. of nations.”
SkyShowtime will continue to operate “for the foreseeable future,” says Nobili, who says the Showtime brand “continues to be valued and recognized by customers as the best and most important product.”
Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman starred in “Special Ops: Lionesse.”
As for the international offering of Paramount +, 45 of the 85 premieres of the project have been sent from Europe, with the main points including Germany’s “The Chemistry of Death” and the UK’s “The Ex-Wife” and “Flatshare” (pictured above) .
“Usually, 70% of the viewers are from outside the country,” says Nobili. “This proves that these roles are moving across countries. Financially, it’s a great machine to make us watch and engage.”
Meanwhile, while some US shows from Paramount + may be looking for new homes outside of the project, Nobili says the studio’s show is the “lead” overseas, “because that’s what we need and we want to grow.” Therefore, even if the first big one like “Yellowjackets” was available on Sky, the most successful new house is Paramount +. Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a flexible way to license certain types of shows, Nobili is quick to add.
“There are some shows that we’ve decided to put on pay TV and another window against our advertising work,” says Nobili. “There’s a proven track record that we’ve kept on Paramount+ and released every week on pay TV.”
Asked how Hollywood’s strike is affecting international channels — that is, is there more interest in content overseas while US production has taken a hit — Nobili insists that Paramount Global is “well prepared” to be ignored. and that there are “good places to drive.”
“I would say internationalization is something that gives you a lot of opportunity to grow on the road, and we have high hopes for these topics – not only in the international market, but also in the US market,” says Nobili. “There are a lot of things coming through the international pipeline that will help us a lot.”
Paramount Global may be hosting the final London show featuring American talent for a while if the protesters are called out by SAG-AFTRA on Wednesday night. Zoe Saldaña and Morgan Freeman are expected to attend Paramount+ on Tuesday evening for Taylor Sheridan’s spy thriller “Special Ops: Lion” at another beautiful venue – Tate Britain. t is ready to be found.)
Sheridan’s films, which are the backbone of Paramount Global’s offerings, play very well overseas, Nobili says. The Stallone-led “Yellowstone” and “Tulsa King” are consistently “number two and three in our top ratings across Europe,” the executive added.
Paramount Global Execs are betting that the US slate, combined with a string of international hits, will make the viewer experience something special.
“We have a lot of international coverage and some of these shows are only starting in 2024 and entering the second phase, so we have a good way to play,” says Nobili.