The Paramount+ purge continues.
Inside Amy Schumer and Kevin Williamson Tell me a story are among the latest titles to be removed from the Paramount Global-owned streaming platform. The moves, which were expected after last week’s removal of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Star Trek: Prodigy, The Game and Queen of the Universe, It comes on the same day that the conglomerate officially launched Paramount+ with Showtime.
Other titles being removed from the service include the Dave Grohl docuseries. From the cradle to the stage, Ghislaine: an accomplice in crime (former CBS News president Susan Zirinsky’s document), the film produced by LeBron James fantasy football (which was picked up as part of Brian Robbins’ push for younger skewed content) and family musical Snow day.
Nickelodeon’s fare was hit especially hard with the removal of series that include All In With Cam Newton, Allegra’s Window, Becca’s Bunch, Bella and the Bulldogs, Crashletes, Digby Dragon, The Fresh Beat Band, The Halo Effect, Legendary Dudas, Monsters vs. Aliens, Mutt & Stuff, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, Peter Rabbit, pig, goat, banana, cricket, ride and The troop.
Paramount+ indicated that other titles would join fat, prodigy, the game and queen of the universe. No further withdrawals are expected at this time.
“In Paramount+’s unified plan with Showtime, Showtime’s portfolio of cutting-edge and critically acclaimed programming will complement Paramount+’s broad and popular library in a seamless offering that appeals to everyone, enables greater discovery across brands, and builds an audience. general,” a Paramount+ spokesperson said. he said in a statement to THR last week. “As we prepare to combine Paramount+ and Showtime later this month in the US, we are refining our content offering to provide the best streaming experience for subscribers. This is consistent with our content strategy from launch and across our business, ensuring we make smart and efficient decisions, informed by data and audience insights. We are removing select programming as we look to enhance Showtime’s strong lineup of premium originals.”
Paramount+ With Showtime launched June 27 at $12 per month. Such Showtime Originals as Yellow Jackets, Your Honor, Dexter, Billions and The Chi, among others, are already available on the platform. The move comes as Paramount Global is growing its core platform rather than keeping Showtime alone. Showtime’s linear channel will remain as is for now. Current Showtime subscribers have until the end of the year to migrate to Paramount+ with Showtime.
Paramount+ joins Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney in removing underperforming titles from their respective streaming services in exchange for financial considerations. Streamers continue to pay licensing fees to keep shows on their platforms. WBD, for example, removed lower-rated series including Western world and the nevers and instead licensed them to free, ad-supported streaming services in an attempt to recoup some of the losses on expensive scripted originals. Disney recently removed a couple dozen titles from Disney+ and Hulu, and it’s unclear if the Mouse House plans to follow suit and sell the underperforming titles to ad-supported free streamers or elsewhere. In a recent earnings report, Disney took a $1.5 billion tax deduction for content removal. Paramount Global is expected to disclose the cost savings associated with removing content during an upcoming earnings report.
