Paramount Plus reveals 3 massive ways it's taking on Netflix

Tom's Guide

3 hours ago

Paramount Plus has had a big year. It got rid of Paramount Plus with Showtime, rebranding that offering as Paramount Plus Premium. It added "South Park" to its library, and it just recently announced a deal that brings the UFC to the streaming service starting next year. All of this is tied to the fact that Paramount Plus — and Paramount writ large — is now under new ownership, and those new owners are making changes.
New owner Skydance isn't done overhauling the streaming service, though. At a Los Angeles press event yesterday (Aug. 13), new Paramount CEO David Ellison and new Chair of Direct-to-Consumer Cindy Holland revealed at least part of their strategy for Paramount Plus going forward, which Holland will oversee in her new role (h/t Deadline).
These new strategies aren't insignificant, and they'll directly impact how you watch shows and movies on the streaming service. They're also a direct shot at Netflix, especially with three major changes.
Historically, Paramount Plus has been home to Paramount content only. That encompasses numerous brands, from MTV to CBS and Paramount Pictures, but it meant that there was a lot of content subscribers simply would never have access to.
Now, though, Paramount Plus will bring in content from outside studios to offer customers more value, or at least, more to watch. 'We are going to be buying from third parties," Holland revealed yesterday, "because we want to be programming the best stories regardless of what the producing entity is."
This is a major development because adding third-party content is one of the key reasons Netflix is the dominant subscription video-on-demand streaming service, and it has been an advantage that other streamers have had over Paramount.
In fact, two of Paramount's biggest shows, "South Park" and "Yellowstone," have largely been absent from Paramount Plus for most of its history, and "Yellowstone" still is. Now, it looks like not only is Paramount Plus getting some of its own shows back, but it's going to start stealing some others.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Adding third-party shows and movies isn't the only strategy that Paramount is looking to take from Netflix's playbook. It will also examine two other key aspects of Netflix's success: the algorithm and the binge drop.
Paramount Plus offers hit original shows, the latest shows and movies from every brand in the Paramount umbrella and more.
Now, Paramount isn't going to steal Netflix's actual algorithm, the underlying technology that allows Netflix to constantly feed you exactly the shows and movies you want to watch. Instead, Ellison and Paramount are now going to make a concerted effort to invest in the actual streaming platform itself, not just the content.
They're also going to shift how they release content. Again, don't expect Paramount to completely rip Netflix off here — "Landman" season 2 isn't suddenly going to become a binge drop. But Holland told those in attendance at Wednesday's press conference that she's looking forward to experimenting with binge drops and other release models, to see what works best for certain shows.
As I already mentioned, Paramount is a massive company, filled with numerous brands. Now that Skydance is in charge, it's looking to use those brands to play to their own strengths, and that means some brands might not make certain shows and movies.
Paramount is going to invest in the platform itself to improve the user experience, and it's also going to probably experiment with Netflix-style binge drops for certain shows. Massive changes, but ones that hint at a better streaming service in the future ... provided these changes don't come with price hikes.
In the case of Paramount Plus, Holland said that bingeable dramas are going to be a big focus going forward, and that the streaming service is going to leave the multi-camera comedy shows and procedurals to CBS.
'The things CBS is already great at we won't be in a hurry to try to replicate,' was Holland's reasoning when explaining the shift in strategy. 'Streaming movies are not a priority for me," she added, signaling that Paramount Plus probably won't start churning out its own version of Netflix originals.
So to recap, Paramount Plus is going to add more shows and movies, from more studios. It's also going to rely on certain studios and brands to do what they do best, focusing more on bingeable dramas when it comes to Paramount Plus original content. Paramount is going to invest in the platform itself to improve the user experience, and it's also going to probably experiment with Netflix-style binge drops for certain shows. Massive changes, but ones that hint at a better streaming service in the future ... provided these changes don't come with price hikes.
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.
Here's what he's been watching lately: