Paramount+, the streaming service of Paramount Global, will launch two new subscription tiers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, namely its basic (with ads) and premium plans. They will join the standard tier in the three countries.
Starting on Wednesday, March 26, the premium plan will launch in the three markets, priced at €12.99 ($14.08) per month in Germany and Austria, and 17.90 Swiss francs ($20.31) monthly in Switzerland. Annual subscriptions will cost €115.99 ($125.73) and 161 Swiss francs ($182.73), respectively. The premium plan offers such video quality as 4K UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos on select titles, plus concurrent streams on up to four devices.
This summer, the basic (with ads) tier will debut in the three German-speaking markets, costing €5.99 ($6.49) per month in Germany and Austria, and 7.90 Swiss francs ($8.97) in Switzerland. The annual plan will cost €52.99 ($57.45) or 71 Swiss francs ($80.58).
“Paramount+ is seeing strong international subscriber growth as fans in markets around the world come to our service for hit series from Landman and Happy Face to SpongeBob and Star Trek,” said Marco Nobili, executive vp and international general manager for Paramount+. “New subscription models are reshaping the streaming industry, giving consumers more choices to enhance their experience at different price points.”
He touted the success of similar new tier launches in other markets so far. “We are already seeing strong adoption, with non-standard plans accounting for nearly half of direct-to-consumer sign-ups in Australia, Canada, U.K., Brazil and Mexico,” said Nobili. “I am confident we will see continued momentum as we expand our multi-tier options in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.”
Lee Sears, president of international markets advertising sales at Paramount, added: “Expanding our Paramount+ ad-tier plan to new markets will unlock a tremendous opportunity for advertisers. Partners can connect with fans of our hit global franchises, films, and series, across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in a seamless, comprehensive, and impactful way.”
About trends in the three markets, Nobili told The Hollywood Reporter: “We saw record-breaking consumption in Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GSA) at the end of last year. This milestone was driven by the popularity of shows like Tulsa King season 2, Star Trek: Discovery, Germany Shore season 4, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One. This success highlights the importance of GSA as a key growth market.”
And he added: “We have established our presence, demonstrated the power of our content and achieved significant awareness in key markets like GSA. I believe we will continue to see direct-to-consumer subscriber growth as we offer customers more choices for how they consume our unbeatable films, franchises and series.”
Among content coming to Paramount+ in the GSA region are the likes of MobLand, the new series from Guy Ritchie starring Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren, new European original series Parallel Me, about a young woman who gets the chance to travel to alternative versions of her life and starring Malaya Stern Takeda, David Kross, and Maria Schrader, “alongside the streaming premieres of blockbuster movies Gladiator II, available on the platform in Germany, Switzerland and Austria starting May 28, Transformers One and Smile 2.”