• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, May 10, 2021

ViacomCBS has released specifics about the planned introduction of Paramount+ in Australia and New Zealand, including the launch date: Aug. 11.

ViacomCBS, which acquired Australian linear Channel Ten in 2017, will rebrand Ten’s existing streaming offering, 10 All Access, to Paramount+. 

The service will be priced at 8.99 per month in Australian dollars, which translates to about $6.75 U.S.

It will offer 20,000 movies and TV episodes from Paramount Pictures, Showtime, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Smithsonian Channel and Sony Pictures Television, and numerous international titles.

ViacomCBS will use Channel Ten’s local programming and audience to give Paramount Plus an edge.

Netflix, Disney+ and Nine Entertainment’s service Stan currently dominate the Australian streaming market.

ViacomCBS said it will commission a second season of Australian drama “Five Bedrooms” (cast shown above) and new episodes of sex comedy “Spreadsheet,” drama “Last King of The Cross,” and greenlight a coming-of-age movie called “6 Festivals.”

“We are poised to become as powerful a player in streaming as we are in television,” said Beverley McGarvey, chief content officer and executive vice president, ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand, in a statement. “By leveraging the iconic Paramount brand, leading edge infrastructure, along with an incredible super-sized pipeline of must-see content, Paramount Plus will deliver an exceptional consumer entertainment experience.”