ViacomCBS partners with Sky to roll out streamer Paramount+ in Europe

ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) is partnering with Comcast-owned pay TV broadcaster Sky to launch its Paramount+ streaming service across Europe.

Raffaele Annecchino

Paramount+ will launch on Sky platforms in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GSA) in 2022 as part of a multi-year distribution agreement.

The deal also includes the extended carriage of ViacomCBS’s portfolio of pay TV channels and the renewal of Sky as an ad sales partner in select markets.

It is the second such deal secured by Sky within a week, following the news that Comcast stablemate NBCUniversal would be rolling out its Peacock streamer on Sky’s platforms around Europe.

Upon its launch, Sky Cinema subscribers will have Paramount+ included at no additional cost. As part of the partnership, Paramount Pictures’ feature films will remain available on Sky Cinema in the UK and will join Sky Cinema in Germany and Italy in 2022. All other Sky customers will be able to subscribe to Paramount+ as an add-on to their account.

Paramount+ features a catalogue of original series and movies from the likes of Showtime, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel.

Outside the US, the streaming service offers nearly 3,000 episodes of kids’ content, 1,000 episodes of reality, more than 500 films and 2,500 hours of Paramount+ Originals, CBS and Showtime series, dramas and sitcoms.

Titles that will become available during 2022 in the UK, Ireland, Italy and GSA include HALO, The Offer and the new iCarly series. The service will also offer Showtime series The Man Who Fell to Earth, Ripley, Super Pumped and American Gigolo.

The deal further extends a partnership that already sees Sky selling ViacomCBS’ adverts in the UK and Italy, as well as owning stakes in ViacomCBS’ pay TV channels Nickelodeon and Comedy Central.

Raffaele Annecchino, president and CEO of VCNI, said: “This transformative distribution deal is key to accelerating our global ambitions in streaming while also supporting Sky’s strategic objectives to better serve audiences with greater flexibility in how they consume our content across all platforms.”

Stephen van Rooyen, executive VP and CEO for UK & Europe at Sky, added: “This is another example of how we are innovating for our customers and further aggregating all the best apps and content together in one place on [premium service] Sky Q, giving them more great TV to watch than ever before. Paramount+ is an excellent service with a huge range of fantastic films and TV series, and our new, broader agreement with ViacomCBS will benefit both businesses.”