Paramount is ramping up its international expansion as scheduled, with subscription-based service Paramount+ set to launch Wednesday in the U.K. and Ireland.
U.K. users will be able to sign up to Paramount+ for $8.58 per month (£6.99) or $85.75 (£69.90) annually. While Ireland subscribers will have the option of paying either $8.42 (€7.99) per month or $84.17 (€79.90) per year.
Customers in both regions will have access to a free seven-day trial of Paramount+.
The news comes shortly after Paramount launched its streaming service in South Korea on June 16, marking the company’s official entry to Asia.
Pluto TV, meanwhile, turned on service in May in three Nordic countries. The free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service has been available in the U.K. – via Sky’s Now TV – since 2018.
Sky Cinema customers will be able to access Paramount+ content at no extra cost with their subscription – through a standalone app on the Sky Glass and Sky Q set top boxes.
Paramount is further building on its relationship with Sky, as the companies have entered a joint venture known as SkyShowtime, which plans to target over 20 European markets.
Maria Kyriacou, president of Paramount Australia, Canada, Israel, and U.K., said the U.K. market has “a lot of potential” for Paramount+.
“The U.K. is a really strong creative hub,” Kyriacou said in a statement. “It's a country that has strong production capabilities and a lot of respect for what our writers and our actors and all of our talent can do around the world.”
In addition to the U.K. and Ireland launches, Paramount announced this week a slate of international original series. Upcoming originals include titles like “Murder of God’s Banker,” a four-part docuseries, and “Marie Antoinette Serial Killer,” a fantasy horror thriller.
“As the service continues to expand internationally, there’s a great opportunity for content to travel globally, opening up a world of opportunities for talent and creators as we plan to commission 150 international originals by 2025, while delivering incredible value to subscribers on Paramount+,” said Marco Nobili, EVP and international general manager of Paramount+, in a statement.
Paramount is “increasingly leaning” into its global production capabilities, CEO Bob Bakish noted at a Credit Suisse investor conference earlier this month.
“We’re using more formats than ever, that’s taking our show that you know works and creating an international or many international specific versions,” he said.
Paramount’s timeline of international expansion seems to be in good shape. It plans to launch Paramount+ in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France later this year, as well as in India in 2023.