Paramount+ arrives in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, targets 45 markets before 2023

Paramount+ original series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Paramount+ has followed up its recent arrival in France by launching in Germany, Switzerland and Austria today, with the streamer set to be live in 45 markets by the end of 2022.

The SVoD service arrived in France on December 1, having begun its European roll-out earlier this year with launches in the UK, Italy and Ireland, while it is also available in the US, Canada, Australia, Latin America, the Caribbean and South Korea. India and other parts of Asia are next on the list.

Paramount held an event in Berlin last night that was attended by stars from its originals such as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, 1883, The Sheik, Germany Shore and Spotlight.

The streamer was previously also available in the Nordic region, but has since been replaced there by new SVoD proposition SkyShowtime, a joint venture between Comcast and Paramount Global, which went live in September. The SkyShowtime brand is also being prepared to launch in the Iberian peninsula.

In common with other streamers, Paramount+ has prepared local originals for French- and German-speaking audiences.

In France, these include eight-part young-adult fantasy horror thriller Mask: Marie Antoinette Serial Killer; mystery series The Signal (Le Signal), based on the bestseller by French author Maxime Chattam; and unscripted series Le Stade, which follows the Stade Toulousain rugby team as it faces the biggest challenge of its history.

Originals lined up for German-speaking territories include eight-parter Der Scheich, about a con artist, from award-winning filmmaker Dani Levy; crime series Simon Beckett’s Chemistry of Death, based on the bestselling novels featuring forensic anthropologist Dr David Hunter; eco-cyber thriller series A Thin Line; Kohlrabenschwarz, based on the audio mystery drama series of the same name; and season six of Nickelodeon series Spotlight.

Local productions will sit alongside global Paramount+ originals such as Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone as a New York mafia boss; 1923, the next instalment in the origin story of hit frontier drama Yellowstone, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren; sci-fi prequel Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; and content from Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Showtime and the Smithsonian Channel.

Additionally, Paramount+ will be the home of a selection of new blockbuster films following their theatrical and home entertainment releases, including Top Gun: Maverick, which will arrive on the service on December 22.

Subscribers can access Paramount+ on a range of connected TV devices though Apple, Amazon, Google, Samsung and Roku, as well as on mobile and other devices.

In Germany and Austria, Paramount+ is also available on Sky platforms. Under a multi-year agreement between the two companies, Paramount+ is included free for subscribers in a package that includes Sky Cinema. A standalone Paramount+ app will also be available on Sky Q.

French subscribers, meanwhile, have access to Paramount+ via Canal+ packages. The French pay TV operator has exclusive distribution rights for Paramount+ in French-speaking Switzerland.

Marco Nobili, executive VP and international general manager of Paramount+, said: “There is no doubt 2022 has been the year of global expansion for Paramount+. With the latest launch in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and France last week, we are now streaming in key markets in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia and soon in India. With our unbeatable content offering to entertain the entire family, deployed across such a vast footprint, we are well-positioned to continue our momentum in 2023.”

In related news, the sixth season of Spotlight, the youth drama from Germany’s UFA for Nickelodeon, is being rolled out internationally for the first time on Paramount+. The show will now be offered in six other countries in addition to Central Europe.