Paramount+ expands to France
February 16, 2022
As part of a wide-ranging series of announcements, including the changing of the overall company name to Paramount Global, ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), a division of ViacomCBS, has agreed a long-term strategic partnership that will bring Canal+ subscribers ViacomCBS content.
The strategic partnership includes the distribution of Paramount+ as the service expands to France this year.
Upon launch, Paramount+ will be available to all Canal+ Ciné Séries French subscribers. The ViacomCBS streaming service will be the home of SHOWTIME in France. It will feature Paramount Pictures’ blockbuster movies, new Paramount+ originals, Nickelodeon’s iconic characters, entertainment from MTV, and CBS Studios’ top-rated shows, with new series including:
- The Offer, a limited event series about the making of the legendary film The Godfather,
- The Man Who Fell to Earth, a one-hour drama with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris
- The First Lady, a scripted anthology series starring Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Gillian Anderson
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, the musical series, takes place four years before the original film Grease
- Fatal Attraction starring Lizzy Caplan and Joshua Jackson
Paramount+ will also bring French fans well-known franchises such as Billions, Dexter, SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park, Star Trek, and many more, alongside iconic movies from Paramount Pictures such as The Godfather, Transformers, Mission Impossible, and many more.
French audiences will also have direct access to Paramount+ via the Paramount+ App (iOS and Android) and via connected TVs and OTT platforms. Pricing and local content offering will be announced at a later date.
- The distribution of nine iconic ViacomCBS brands on Canal+ Group channels: Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon Junior, Nickelodeon Teen, MTV, Paramount Channel, Game One, J-One, BET, and Comedy Central.
- The premiere of ViacomCBS content exclusively for Canal+ Group channels and services, including films from Paramount Pictures and select original series from SHOWTIME.
- Canal+ Group channels will air Paramount Pictures films six months after theatrical release, in line with new French media chronology regulations. In 2022, subscribers will be able to watch Top Gun Maverick and Scream on Canal+ Group channels, followed by their debut on Paramount+ in France.
- Select SHOWTIME series will premiere on Canal+ Group channels and services, starting in 2022 with Yellowjackets, Super Pumped and Your Honor 2. These series will then be available on Paramount+ in France.
In addition, the highly anticipated series HALO will be available as a Paramount+ original in France on Canal+ as a special partner event for Paramount+ ahead of the service’s launch later in 2022, where the series will then become available.
“Today marks an important milestone for our streaming growth story,” stated Raffaele Annecchino, President and Chief Executive Officer, ViacomCBS Networks International. “After the UK, Italy, and Germany, the new strategic partnership with Canal+ accelerates our expansion in Europe with the launch of Paramount+ in France in 2022. Paramount+ will bring French audiences the best ViacomCBS content, including Paramount Pictures and SHOWTIME titles as well as a strong French content pipeline. We are strategically creating a streaming model for long-term growth, rapidly gaining a solid footprint across all the major European countries. Our SVoD premium services allow us to expand our streaming business in more than 60 markets, as we build our momentum toward expanding Paramount+ in all the markets across the world.”
“This partnership with ViacomCBS, which include content and brands that have marked, and continue to mark, generations, is a new demonstration of Canal+ Group’s ability to team up with the most influential global players in the content industry,” added Maxime Saada, Chairman and CEO of Canal+ Group. “It strengthens our businesses, both as an aggregator, via the distribution of Paramount+ and ViacomCBS’ channels, and as a publisher, by securing long-term exclusive access to Paramount Pictures movies and select SHOWTIME series for our Canal+ channels. This acclaimed ViacomCBS content will strengthen Canal+ Group’s unique cinema and series offering that is available in more than 30 countries around the world.”