Advanced Television

Showtime

SkyShowtime launching Standard with Ads plan

SkyShowtime has announced the introduction of a new ad-supported plan – Standard with Ads – which will be offered alongside its existing plan, now renamed Standard Plus. Standard with Ads will include advertising at a cheaper subscription price, while Standard Plus remains ad-free. Standard with Ads will be available from April 23rd across all of […]

February 16, 2024

Paramount end game?

It seems like we’ve been waiting for ‘the other shoe to drop’ and someone to buy Paramount for a long time. Even the group’s own CEO holds staff ‘town halls’ openly discussing likely bids while enjoining them to concentrate on their jobs and his own growth plans. That will be a good trick, if they […]

February 1, 2024

Spain: Movistar Plus+ to launch SkyShowtime

Movistar Plus+ and SkyShowtime have announced a multi-year agreement, bringing SkyShowtime to Telefónica’s TV offering. From early 2024, Movistar Plus+ will becomes the first Spanish operator to launch SkyShowtime, with its exclusive selection of international and Spanish-language series and theatrical releases from Paramount and Universal. The service will be included in the Ficción miMovistar package. […]

December 15, 2023

SkyShowtime names Finke Chief Content Officer

SkyShowtime CEO Monty Sarhan has announced that former Netflix executive Kai Finke has been appointed Chief Content Officer. Based in Amsterdam and reporting to Sarhan, Finke will lead the programming team. In this new role, Finke will be responsible for programming strategy, overseeing the service’s pipeline of partner studio entertainment, merchandising and scheduling, and SkyShowtime’s […]

September 11, 2023

Bakish: Charter, Disney showdown ‘inevitable’

Paramount CEO Bob Bakish says the stand-off between Charter and Disney is an “inevitable” consequence of the trends in DTC and pay-TV and their apparent incompatibility. He says ralationships have to “modernise” and says his company is a good example. “Frankly, it wasn’t a surprise, the exact timing was, but it was inevitable that something […]

September 8, 2023

Fleeting Lies to premiere on SkyShowtime

SkyShowtime has announced that Original series Mentiras Pasajeras (‘Fleeting Lies‘) will premiere exclusively on the service from October 9th, with new episodes available to stream every Monday. The series’ cast includes Elena Anaya, Pilar Castro, Hugo Silva, Quim Gutiérrez and Susi Sánchez, alongside an A-list roster of guest stars including María Botto, Pedro Casablanc and Estefanía […]

September 5, 2023

SkyShowtime Original The Winner (Víťaz) to premiere in September

SkyShowtime has announced that its first Slovakian original series The Winner (Víťaz) will premiere on the service from September 4th. The Winner (Víťaz) is a six episode family comedy that delves into the life of Viktor Hudák (Ady Hajdu), a former Prime Minister of a small European country, who, after a decade, strives to reconnect […]

August 1, 2023

Verizon bundles Netflix, Paramount+, Showtime

Verizon is offering Netflix, Paramount+ and Showtime together as a bundle via +play. For a limited time, US subscribers can get Netflix’s Premium Plan and the Paramount+ with Showtime bundle together for $25.99 (€24.15). Verizon says this is the first time the streaming services have been offered together, giving its customers added value on their […]

June 2, 2023

Smithsonian Channel makes staff cuts

The Smithsonian Channel has been hit with staff reductions at its Washington HQ. Local reports say that Smithsonian’s editorial team has been badly affected by a sizeable number of staff cuts. The lay-offs follow on from the Showtime/Paramount combination and – besides a 25 per cent headcount reduction – has also resulted in redefining its […]

May 16, 2023By Chris Forrester

Paramount axes 25% of staff

Paramount Global is cutting around 25 per cent of its workforce in its domestic cable networks as it seeks to reduce costs in its merger with Showtime and MTV networks. Staff affected by the move started receving notifcation of their employment termination on May 9th, according to Bloomberg. Paramount is combining nine separate teams into […]

May 10, 2023