Paramount+ is once again a real buyer following Skydance’s acquisition of the streamer’s parent Paramount Global.
At a Los Angeles press event on Wednesday, new Paramount CEO David Ellison touted the move to empower Paramount+ team, led by Netflix veteran Cindy Holland, to commission the streamer’s original programming vs. the most recent setup where Paramount Global’s TV studios, CBS Studios, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, had been tasked with supplying Paramount+, including development and decision-making. (Paramount+’s predecessor CBS All Access had a head of originals, Julie McNamara; the position was eventually eliminated.)
Following the official press conference of the new Paramount leadership, Holland, Chair of Direct-to-Consumer who oversees Paramount+ and Pluto TV, reiterated her comments on stage that the goal is for Paramount+ to appeal to all audiences — both adults and kids.
In search of new hits to compliment existing Paramount+ franchises such as Star Trek and the Taylor Sherdian universe, Holland is taking down the walls for outside studios. Paramount+ historically had been walled off, with all of its original series coming within the company’s TV production units.
“We are going to be buying from third parties… because we want to be programming the best stories regardless of what the producing entity is,” Holland told Deadline.
That is great news for outside major studios and independents who will have another streamer to sell to. It is also reminiscent to the strategy used by Holland when she was head of originals at Netflix; the top streamer continues to buy from outside in addition to producing shows internally.
In another parallel to Netflix and its famous algorithm, in addition to streaming content, Paramount will invest in the actual platform, both Holland and Ellison said, which includes recognizing who is coming to Paramount+ and what their interests are so they can be better served by highlighting relevant content to them.
Netflix pioneered full-season binge drops, while other streamers employ largely weekly episode releases.
There is no set model for Paramount+ going forward, Holland said, adding that she is excited to experiment with release patterns as binge drop may work great for some series while weekly or daily releases may make more sense for others.
Bingeable dramas are the cornerstone of any streaming service these days. Holland is open to other genres but admits that multi-camera comedies won’t be a priority — at least in the early going — because CBS is “fantastic” in the genre and already is supplying a number of those, including Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, which are available on Paramount+ next day.
That may also apply to procedurals, as Holland noted that “the things CBS is already great at we won’t be in a hurry to try to replicate.” (During the press conference, Holland also said that “streaming movies are not a priority for me.”)
In her efforts, Holland is supported by longtime collaborators Efrain Miron, EVP, Head of Content Strategy & Licensing, DTC; and Jane Wiseman, EVP, Head of Originals, DTC. The rest of Holland’s executive team is TBD, she said.
