• by Wayne Friedman , February 6, 2020

In the face of bigger, competitive all-encompassing streaming services from Walt Disney, NBCUniversal, WarnerMedia and others, ViacomCBS is considering the start of a larger premium streaming platform, according to a CNBC report.

The report says that ViacomCBS, a recently merged company of Viacom and CBS assets, is considering prepping a larger ad-supported streaming platform that would include existing platform -- CBS All Access, as well as Viacom brands including Paramount Pictures, for movie and TV content,  MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, VH1, BET and others.

A new, unnamed service would have two other options: An advertising-free version and a premium option that would include Showtime.

A ViacomCBS representative did not respond to Media Daily News inquiries by press time. ViacomCBS executives may speak about the service during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call on Feb. 20, according to the report.

Under CBS, streaming services CBS All Access and Showtime have already amassed a collective 10 million subscribers. CBS has said it is expected to have a combined 25 million subscribers by 2022.

CBS All Access is currently priced at $5.99 a month with advertising, with a $9.99-a-month option that runs no advertising. Showtime, with no ads, is at $10.99 a month.

For its part, Viacom made a major deal in January 2019 in buying the ad-supported, free digital video platform Pluto TV for $340 million, which has around 20 million subscribers.

Viacom has also launched niche streaming platforms including Noggin, a kids programming service at $7.99 per month, and BET+, a general entertainment service at $9.99-per-month.