ViacomCBS partners with Sky to launch Paramount+ in Europe

Paramount+ will launch on Sky platforms in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GSA) in 2022 as part of a new multi-year distribution agreement between ViacomCBS Networks International and Sky that also includes the extended carriage of ViacomCBS’ leading portfolio of pay TV channels and the renewal of Sky as an ad sales partner in select markets.

“We are thrilled to expand our long-standing partnership with Sky to continue delivering ViacomCBS’ leading portfolio of premium entertainment brands to Sky customers and importantly bring Paramount+ to new audiences in all Sky markets, including the UK, Ireland, Italy, and GSA,” said Raffaele Annecchino, President and Chief Executive Officer, ViacomCBS Networks International. “This transformative distribution deal is key to accelerating our global ambitions in streaming while also supporting Sky’s strategic objectives to better serve audiences with greater flexibility in how they consume our content across all platforms.”

Paramount+ is the latest in a series of apps to come to Sky Q adding more than 10,000 hours of content, further enhancing Sky’s aggregation strategy and enabling Sky customers to watch even more of the best content together in one place on the Sky Q platform.

Stephen van Rooyen, Executive VP & Chief Executive, UK & Europe at Sky said: “This is another example of how we are innovating for our customers and further aggregating all the best apps and content together in one place on Sky Q, giving them more great TV to watch than ever before. Paramount+ is an excellent service with a huge range of fantastic films and TV series, and our new, broader agreement with ViacomCBS will benefit both businesses.”

Upon launch, Sky Cinema subscribers will get the bonus of Paramount+ included at no additional cost, providing access to two fantastic services side by side with more than 10,000 hours of extra content for one affordable price. As part of this partnership, Paramount Pictures’ feature films will remain available on Sky Cinema in the UK and will join Sky Cinema in Germany and Italy in 2022. All other Sky customers will be able to subscribe to Paramount+ as an add-on to their account.

In addition, ViacomCBS and Sky reached a multi-year extension for carriage of ViacomCBS’ linear channels — including Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon — in the UK, Ireland, Italy and GSA. The channels will be complemented by a strong selection of box sets, giving customers the flexibility to watch the content they love whenever and wherever they want.

ViacomCBS renewed its multi-year agreement with Sky as an ad sales partner for all platforms and channels in the UK and Italy. Sky Media will continue to handle ad sales across the ViacomCBS portfolio of channels, including Channel 5 in the UK, where ViacomCBS and Channel 5 will benefit from Sky Media’s market-leading innovation in addressable advertising.