[ad_1]
The TV climate is getting harsher, so streamers and networks are bundling up.
On Monday, Paramount announced that the Showtime linear channel will officially rebrand as Paramount+ with Showtime on Jan. 8. The company, which previously made its Paramount+ with Showtime streaming option available in June, announced that the linear channel rebrand creates a “first-of-its-kind multiplatform brand” to integrate both streaming and linear content.
Industry experts told Adweek the move highlights the need for traditional networks to adapt in the age of streaming, with the rebrand having the potential to expand Showtime’s reach by providing access to a broader Paramount+ audience. However, this particular rebrand is not so much a first-of-its-kind experience, but more of an ongoing TV trend of consolidation, bundling and platform integration.
“As platforms seek to offer more comprehensive content libraries, more rebrands and integration of services might be seen in 2024 and beyond,” Tony Marlow, CMO at LG Ad Solutions, told Adweek. “It also emphasizes the importance of strong, recognizable brands in the streaming wars, where content and ease of access are key drivers of subscriber growth and retention.”
Though leaning on recognizable brands may be the way forward in the streaming space, the industry’s consolidation and rebranding have the potential to cause some issues.
“While it is interesting to see the advancement of linear and streaming coming together in a more strategic way, it is confusing for consumers because Showtime is now adopting the name of a Paramount streaming service—Paramount+ with Showtime, which is the streaming service’s premium tier,” said Mike Proulx, vp and research director at Forrester. “However, not all of the content from the streaming service is going to be on the rebranded cable network.”
As Forrester noted, several Showtime and Paramount+ series will be integrated into the rebranded linear network, including Halo, Sexy Beast and Taylor Sheridan’s Mayor of Kingstown, but the linear channel won’t have all of the Paramount+ offerings.
For Proulx, from a messaging and product design standpoint, the move has the potential to leave consumers “a bit perplexed with what they’re actually paying for.”
And where there’s one change, there could be more, according to Hunter Terry, head of CTV at tech and data company Lotame.
“I can only assume that Paramount plans to remove the name ‘Showtime’ altogether in the next 12 months and that this is a transitional name to assure its customers that Showtime and Paramount+ are one,” Terry speculated. “I expect the ‘Showtime’ branding to flutter off into the ether similar to how HBO has from Max.”
