Why ViacomCBS Just Pulled an About-Face With New Streaming Plans
ViacomCBS will join the streaming craze after all. On Thursday, the company laid out how it plans to beef up its CBS All Access operation into a larger player that can compete on the same field as Netflix or Disney+. CEO Bob Bakish described it as a “House of Brands”-type service, which is just a fancy way of saying you’ll be able to get your CBS, Paramount, Nickelodeon, BET and MTV all from one place. This comes after months of Bakish arguing why ViacomCBS was better off with five smaller streaming services, while at the same time serving as a content supplier to others. Also Read: Why Showtime Wanted In on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' ViacomCBS will be both a rookie and one of the streaming game’s most veteran players. CBS All Access launched in 2014, well before the streaming gold rush began. Bakish said during the company’s earnings call on Thursday that between CBS All Access and its over-the-top version of Showtime, they have 11 million subscribers, with expectations that will rise to 16 million by the end of the year. That goes along with the 22 million users for PlutoTV, its free, ad-supported streaming service. ViacomCBS believes that the...
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