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ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand announced that its subscription video-on-demand streaming service, 10 All Access, will rebrand as Paramount+ in 2021. The move comes as the company is rebranding CBS All Access, its US streaming service, to Paramount+ as well, in order to "establish one cohesive global consumer brand".
In other words, the name change aims to better reflect the expanded content line-up following the Viacom-CBS merger in 2019. In Australia, Paramount+ is also set to become the exclusive home of Showtime premieres, which could make it appealing to new subscribers.
But what exactly does the rebrand mean for consumers? Here's what we know so far.
Paramount+ will launch in the US and Latin America on 4 March 2021. Canada's CBS All Access will be rebranded as Paramount+ as well on that date, but the expanded catalogue won't become available until later in the year.
The service will then debut in Europe, starting with the Nordic countries, on 25 March. After that, Australia will be next. There's no set launch date, but we can expect the new service to become available here sometime around mid-2021.
"Paramount is an iconic and storied brand beloved by consumers all over the world, and it is synonymous with quality, integrity and world-class storytelling," says Bob Bakish, ViacomCBS CEO. The name change will mean the company can establish one global streaming brand – no more CBS All Access in the US and 10 All Access in Australia.
It may also make the platform more broadly appealing, since CBS is usually associated with an older audience in the US and doesn't have as much brand recognition overseas.
Oh, and adding a "+" sign has basically become the norm for new streamers – see Apple TV+, Disney+, the US's ESPN+ and so on.
The company hasn't announced any plans to change pricing when the new service goes live.
10 All Access is currently $9.99 a month, but is slightly expensive when you consider its limited library of TV series. In comparison, Disney+ now costs $11.99 a month, the cheapest Netflix plan is $10.99 a month and BINGE plans start at $10 a month.
If it expands the library and adds movies, the company might change pricing as well.
In the US, the service will cost US$9.99 a month to stream ad free, but will add a US$4.99 a month plan in June that will include ads and limit the content available to watch.
The current library will stay the same, so you will still be able to binge your way through entire seasons of NCIS, Madam Secretary or Elementary. 10 All Access's catalogue features more than 10,000 episodes from CBS, The CW and Network 10, as well as original series like The Good Fight, The Twilight Zone, Tooning Out The News, Interrogation, Why Women Kill and Tell Me A Story.
There's a good chance the new platform will also feature movies from Paramount Pictures and premieres and box sets from subsidiaries like Comedy Central, MTV and Paramount Network.
Additionally, ViacomCBS announced three new original series for Paramount+ in Australia. Spy drama Lioness will follow a young Marine recruited to befriend the daughter of a terrorist to bring the organisation down from within. Meanwhile, The Offer will be a scripted series based on Oscar-winning producer Al Ruddy's extraordinary, never-revealed experiences of making The Godfather.
Finally, Paramount+ will stream the hour-long drama First Ladies, a new Showtime series starring Viola Davis, who is set to play Michelle Obama. As the name suggests, the show will focus on some of America's most charismatic and complex first ladies, with the freshman season featuring Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford as well.
In fact, Paramount+ is set to become the exclusive home of Showtime premieres in Australia. This is a blow to Stan, which currently streams Showtime series based on a long-running deal set to expire soon. That means Stan will likely lose the Showtime back catalogue, which includes popular series Yellowstone and titles such as Dexter and Californication.
In early 2021, Paramount+ announced a wide slate of upcoming original content set to premiere on the service in the following years. The list includes a Criminal Minds limited revival series, a Halo drama based on the iconic Xbox franchise and TV adaptations of classic movies Flashdance, Love Story, The Italian Job, Fatal Attraction and Parallax View.
We're also getting a Frasier revival with Kelsey Grammer. There will be kids' content as well, including iCarly and Rugrats reboots.
Already impressed? These are only the highlights. In fact, the company is investing big in original content, so we can expect even more titles to be announced after the official launch.
10 All Access is available on PC and Mac, iOS and Android devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Fetch TV and Chromecast. Since we're talking about a rebrand and not a new service built from scratch, the device compatibility will likely stay the same.
However, given that it's coming out in early 2021 it'd be interesting to see if it adds either of the new gaming consoles, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, as compatible devices.
Maybe. If you already have 10 All Access, the rebrand is good news, as it means you'll have access to more content. Otherwise, if you're a fan of procedurals and Showtime series, Paramount+ might be a good fit for you.
For now, we're holding off judgment until we can see the upgraded service for ourselves. We'll update this page as more official information becomes available.
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