Paramount + India set to launch in 2023, no word if it will merge with Voot

Paramount+ will launch in India in 2023, in partnership with Viacom18, Paramount Global announced on Tuesday.

Viacom18 is jointly owned by Paramount and Network18, with the latter holding a majority share. Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries owns a large share of Network18. Viacom18 currently operates the Voot streaming service in India, which hosts some Paramount+ content such as Halo and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

It is unclear at this stage if Voot and Paramount+ will be merged in India, or if they will exist on their own. Voot, the home of Bigg Boss, bills itself as the second largest AVOD platform in India after Disney+ Hotstar.

Bob Bakish, president and CEO of Paramount, outlined the company’s global plans for the streaming service when announcing its first-quarter earnings report on Tuesday.

Paramount+ will also launch in South Korea in June and head to Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria in the second half.

“Paramount is known for its leading portfolio of premium entertainment brands and a robust content engine that powers our growing streaming service, Paramount+. This year will be monumental for our streaming strategy as we accelerate our global ambitions, rapidly expanding Paramount+ in Europe starting with the UK, Italy, Germany, France and more by the end of this year and its Asia debut with South Korea in June, followed by India in 2023,” Raffaele Annecchino, President and CEO, International Networks, Studios and Streaming, Paramount Global, said in a statement.

“With an already extensive global footprint and a strong long-term market-by-market strategy, we are well positioned to build on our positive momentum,” added Annecchino.

Paramount+ touted access to the Star Trek universe, new seasons of the Yellowstone series, plus South Park and the MTV Shores franchise, plus kids and family favorites like SpongeBob SquarePants, PAW Patrol and Rugrats, and more to come.

It will be available on a variety of devices and platforms, including mobile phones and tablets, Android TV, Apple TV, Apple TV Channels, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung TV (2017+), desktop or mobile web, and more to be announced. in the future.

Internationally, the streaming service offers an extensive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across all genres from world-renowned brands and production studios including Showtime, BET, CBS , Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian. Channel, in addition to a solid offer of local content.

Paramount+ is currently available in the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Nordics, and Australia.

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