VIACOMCBS IS PLANNING A REBRANDING AND INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION FOR CBS ALL ACCESS

ViacomCBS will rebrand its CBS All Access streaming service in the following weeks and expand it into multiple international markets over the next 12 months, Bob Bakish, CEO of ViacomCBS, told investors during Thursday's first quarter earnings report.

During the same call, the group announced a comprehensive, multi-year distribution agreement with Google, which will see additional content from ViacomCBS’ portfolios of news, entertainment, and sports networks for Youtube TV subscribers.

"Major changes are coming this summer as we track toward the rebrand and relaunch of a transformed product. Our biggest franchises will be key to this strategy, which is to optimize an already-developed tech platform, rather than building from scratch,"  Bakish commented, emphasizing that the focus of the rebrand will be on news, live sports, and on-demand entertainment.

In addition to a user interface update, more than 100 films from Paramount's library – including classic franchises such as "The Godfather" and "Star Trek" – were added to All Access on Thursday. More new content will be added in coming weeks, with VOD content coming from across the portfolio.

In fact, given the CBS and Viacom merger, All Access could now include access to content from MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, CMT, Comedy Central and Paramount Network, among other sources. The company's various brands will also begin producing original content for the rebranded All Access.

“Expanding CBS All Access’ library of films with the iconic titles from Paramount Pictures is just one of the many ways we’re integrating the phenomenal catalog of IP available to us within the ViacomCBS family,” stated Julie McNamara, Head of Programming at CBS All Access. "The service is on a growth trajectory with two record-breaking months in March and April, and we look forward to bringing even more premium content and value to our subscribers in the coming months,”  she concluded.