Yet another video streamer could come to South Africa and Africa as ViacomCBS announces that it will rebrand and expand its CBS All Access and roll it out internationally.

by Thinus Ferreira

Yet another subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service could possibly make its way to Africa and South Africa with ViacomCBS that announced on Thursday that it will be rebranding its CBS All Access streaming service in the United States within a year and start to expand it internationally.

If ViacomCBS makes a relaunched CBS All All Access available in South Africa, it will compete with the existing Netflix, MultiChoice's Showmax, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, VIU, Vodacom Video Play and some other smaller SVOD players.

Not yet launched in South Africa or Africa and with only silence from The Walt Disney Company about it and the continent, is its streaming service Disney+ that was rolled out in the United States, the United Kingdom, European countries, India and New Zealand.

WarnerMedia's HBO Max is launching on 25 May in the United States - also with silence from WarnerMedia as to possible future roll-out in South Africa or Africa.

CBS All Access Originals that are only on CBS All Access in the United States is currently sold through CBS Studios International, CBS Television Studios' international distribution arm, to pay-TV channels and streamers available in Africa and South Africa, for instance M-Net and Amazon Prime Video.

The Good Fight is on M-Net (DStv 101) on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service, with the latest Star Trek series, Star Trek Picard on Amazon Prime Video and the new The Twilight Zone on MultiChoice's own streamer Showmax.

Bob Bakish, ViacomCBS CEO, on Thursday told investors that CBS All Access will rebrand, expands its content offering, and expand internationally within the next year.

The rebranded service will add new and original as well as library content in the form of more shows and films from other ViacomCBS divisions like Paramount and starting with 100 films added from this week, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, BET and other ViacomCBS pay-TV channels.

"We believe audiences want their entertainment on demand and their news, sports and events live, and our expanded offering will be the service that gives them what they want, how they want it all in one place and then a great value," Bob Bakish said.

"Our experience makes clear that we can acquire new customers in a disciplined and economically efficient way while reducing churn and driving customer retention with a deep volume of entertainment news and sports."

Bob Bakish said ViacomCBS is interested in working with existing pay-TV operators in distributing its streaming platform.

"We are full speed ahead on streaming and seeing strong demand for our services today with a strategy to achieve accelerated growth domestically and internationally in the months and years to come."

In a separate press release about the addition of the 100 films from Paramount Pictures to All Access,Julie McNamara, CBS All Access programming boss, said "Expanding CBS All Access' library of films with these 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".

"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."

Viacom launches dramatic TV channel collection shake-up to 'narrow down' its focus as pay-TV broadcasters start to shrink their bouquets.

Viacom wants its MTV Paramount Network.

In a dramatic reorganisation, media conglom Viacom announced that it will "narrow down" its focus from its 25 TV channels to just 6 global TV channels as it's rapidly forced to shrink its efforts and attention amidst falling revenues and viewership, to adapt to pay-TV broadcasters that's shrinking their channel bouquet offerings.

Viacom will rebrand Spike TV - a channel not available in South Africa - to Paramount Network in 2018 in the United States, to be the same as its Paramount Channel operated and distributed by Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) in some countries.

Viacom calls Paramount its foremost new broad-based premiere general entertainment channel from now on. It means that VIMN will start to push the Paramount Channel overseas as its new premiere channel in global territories.

Paramount Network, together with BET (DStv 129), Comedy Central (DStv 122), MTV (DStv 130), Nickelodeon (DStv 305) and Nick Jr. (DStv 307) will now be Viacom's flagship channel brands with all of Viacom's effort, focus and content spending going to these channels.

These channels were chosen because their brands are available globally, for instance in South Africa and across Africa and elsewhere in the world, while lower-tiered channels like VH1 will from now on get little investment and serve to pop up these 6 channels and their content.

These channels can also connect closest to Paramount Pictures film studios to unlock more focused synergy projects going forward, and the 6 channels also have strong digital footprints.

Viacom's dramatic reshaping comes as pay-TV broadcasters in the United States, as well as worldwide - including pay-TV operators in South Africa like MultiChoice and China's StarTimes South Africa - are dumping non-performing channels in a fast-changing pay-TV landscape where the trend of so-called "skinny bundling" is accelerating.

"These 6 brands each have compelling, valuable and distinct brand propositions," said Bob Bakish, Viacom CEO, who previously ran Viacom's international networks division.

"They serve diverse, substantial audiences with largely-owned content, have global reach and distribution potential across linear, digital, film, and consumer products, events and experiences. Viacom's other brands – some of which hold strong positions in their categories and maintain diverse and loyal followings – will be realigned to reinforce the six flagship brands".

The plan is to focus on funneling stronger content to these channels in predominantly America to lift viewers and restore ratings by focusing content creation on smaller, more aligned areas like black viewers (BET), kids (Nickelodeon, Nick Jr.) and young adults (Comedy Central, MTV).

Bob Bakish said the "strategy will enable Viacom to realise the full potential of its premier global portfolio of entertainment brands".


Viacom is also keeping its latest shows away from streaming services. Viacom says its shows are for pay-TV platforms and their subscription television channels.


Scripted programming focus moving from MTV to Paramount
Viacom is immediately moving its scripted TV programming efforts to Paramount Network. There will no longer be drama shows like Teen Wolf made by and for MTV for instance. MTV will resort back to reality shows and music.

Spike TV will start the TV drama series The Mist later this year. Bob Bakish calls it an example of how Viacom erred and will now change. Viacom commissioned The Mist, but its one show on one channel, instead of focusing channels' efforts on building line-ups with scale.

"You had Spike TV trying to launch The Mist but the problem was they were only launching The Mist.’ They didn't have enough to develop a night. We were spending money but not doing in a place where we'd have a high probability of an attractive return".

Scripted drama for MTV didn't work. It's not clear, but The Shannara Chronicles for its already commissioned second season might be moving from MTV to Paramount Network for instance. MTV will refocus around doing reality shows - the My Super Sweet 16 and Jersey Shore type shows.

The rest of Viacom's also-ran channels like VH1, VH1 Classic and others will now become "reinforcing channels". They won't get as much content investment or marketing.


Impact on Africa
The reshaping of Viacom's channels' collection on the surface seems as if it won't necessitate a large wholesale reorganisation for its operations in Africa under its VIMN Africa divison led by Alex Okosi.

Besides the Paramount Channel, the other 5 channels in the new "flagship group" are available in South Africa and in some countries across Africa.

Investment in local, regionalised content for channels like BET Africa, MTV Base and Comedy Central Africa will very likely continue to grow strongly, and investment in more local programming and live marketing events for Nickelodeon will also continue.

Channels like MTV Europe, VH1 Classic and NickToons are there for watching, but African viewers won't be outraged if they were to quietly disappear over time.


Paramount: Building distinctive programming

In an internal email to staff on Thursday, Kevin Kay, Spike TV president, said that "For more than 100 years, the iconic Paramount name has been closely associated with the biggest stars and most compelling stories in all of entertainment."

"It's a studio known worldwide with unparalleled brand recognition. As one of the biggest media companies in the world, Viacom has an incredibly wide-ranging portfolio of indelible brands that have unique and powerful relationships with broad and diverse audiences across the globe, including the successful Paramount Channel aired internationally, from France to Latin America to Russia."

"The Paramount Network will take Spike's already strong programming mix and amplify it with the Paramount brand."

"Its focus will be on building distinctive, high-quality scripted and non-scripted original programming – with dramas, comedies, documentaries, movies, sports and tentpole events. It will also incorporate third-party programming, as well as films from other studio's libraries".

BREAKING. Viacom's new global Viacom Play Plex to South Africa as latest video-on-demand app; will have new and library shows from all Viacom channels.

Viacom has unveiled Viacom Play Plex, a new subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service it will roll at the end of the year globally, including South Africa, offering TV shows and programming from channels including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV through a mobile TV app.

Viacom Play Plex will debut in the 4th quarter of this year in 180 international territories in which Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) operates channels.

A spokesperson for VIMN Africa confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Viacom Play Plex will also be for South Africa.

"Viacom Play Plex will be available to pay-TV and mobile operators in South Africa and the rest of Africa from the fourth quarter of 2015," a spokesperson told TV with Thinus.

VIMN Africa is responsible for channels seen in South Africa and the rest of the continent like MTV Base, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and several BET channels on satellite pay-TV providers like MultiChoice's DStv and On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat.

Viacom Play Plex will consist out of mobile apps for Android and iOS enabled devices which Viacom's distribution partners can offer to their customers.

Viacom Play Plex will become the latest VOD addition in South Africa where Naspers' ShowMax launched last month and where the Times Media Group's VIDI and MTN's FrontRow are trying to make inroads.

The global streaming service Netflix told TV with Thinus at the beginning of the year that it plans to be commercially operational in South Africa before the end of 2016.

Viacom Play Plex will be offering access to a range of current and library content, as well as a live, localised linear stream of Nick Play curated from Nickelodeon specifically for every territory. Nick Play is the current Nick app which is being rebranded as Nick Play.

All of VIMN's channel brands from MTV and Nickelodeon to BET and Comedy Central will funnel content to Viacom Play Plex.

"Viacom Play Plex offers us maximum flexibility in distributing our content as the way viewers consume their favorite TV shows continues to evolve," says VIMN president and CEO Bob Bakish.

"These apps are designed to complement our linear pay TV channels and to allow our existing distribution partners to deepen and improve the entertainment experience they offer their subscribers."

"We believe no other international entertainment company is offering this type of innovation at this scale, serving every major demographic in every major TV market," says Bob Bakish.