Paramount+ to Launch $6.99 Per Month Ad-Supported Tier in Canada, Australia
Paramount+ is set to launch a $6.99 per month, or $61.99 per year, basic with ads tier in Canada and Australia in April and June, respectively.
Additionally, the streamer is expanding the rollout of its premium plan across Europe, beginning with the launch of a €10.99 per month, or €97.99 per year, offering in France this month. The move into Europe follows launches in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico last year.
“Our pricing strategy and a market-by-market approach to our offering is key to providing customers choice, flexibility and value. The ‘Premium’ tier has demonstrated great success in Canada, Australia and Latin America, and I am confident this offering will enable us to reach new subscribers in Europe, as well,” Paramount+ international general manager and executive vice president Marco Nobili said in a statement. “As we launch ‘Basic (with ads)’ in our international markets, we can also offer our incredible content at an even more competitive price to ultimately increase our reach and expand our advertising offerings to partners. The ‘Basic’ tier allows us to continue to lead on value by providing consumers an even more affordable entertainment choice for the entire family.”
Paramount’s International Markets Advertising Sales president Lee Sears added that the new offerings would enhance the value to its partners by “enabling advertisers to buy across our global franchises, series and films through our digital platform, EyeQ, alongside the breadth of Paramount’s premium video inventory in a comprehensive and impactful way.”
The basic with ads plan, which offers HD viewing and the ability to stream on one device at a time, will give subscribers in Australia and Canada access to Paramount+ film and television titles, including “Halo” Season 1 and 2, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and the final season of “Star Trek: Discovery,” a new eight-episode original series called “A Gentleman in Moscow,” “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” “Knuckles” and hit series from the Taylor Sheridan universe like “Special Ops: Lioness,” “Tulsa King,” “Yellowstone,” “1923,” “1883” and “Mayor of Kingstown.” Australian customers will also have access to the A-League/AFC Champions League.
In addition to the basic with ads plan, Paramount offers a standard plan for $9.99 per month, or $89.99 per year, in Australia, which offers full HD viewing, as well as the ability to stream on two devices at once and downloadable content. In Canada, the standard plan will be priced at $10.99 per month, or $97.99 per year, starting in April. Meanwhile, France offers a standard plan for €7.99 per month.
The premium plan, which allows subscribers to stream on four devices at once and download, offers a viewing experience in 4K, UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos and is available for $13.99 per month, or $124.99 per year, in Australia and Canada.
The launch comes as part of Paramount Global’s company-wide effort to drive earnings growth in 2024. In a memo from January, CEO Bob Bakish said they would lean further into the Canadian and Australian markets, where its content has the “greatest revenue potential.”
Other efforts include cutting back on international, local originals, leveraging content licensing and workforce reductions. Last month, the company said it would lay off up to 800 staffers.
Paramount, which reported a total of 67.5 million streaming subscribers in its fourth quarter of 2023, narrowed its direct-to-consumer loss to $490 million, an $85 million year-over-year improvement. The company expects to attain domestic profitability in its streaming business in 2025.
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