Late to the Game: Paramount’s Entry into the Crowded European Streaming Market

As streaming platforms continue to dominate the entertainment industry, companies like Paramount are vying for a piece of the market in Europe, where they face stiff competition from well-established players. Will Paramount’s late entry into the game pay off, or will they struggle to catch up?

SkyShowtime, the European streaming service launched by Comcast and Paramount Global, announced that it would be launching in seven Central and Eastern European markets on December 14th. The streaming service had previously launched in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden on September 20th, followed by the Netherlands and Portugal on October 25th. The addition of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia on December 14th brought SkyShowtime‘s reach to 13 of its planned 22 markets, which encompassed 90 million homes. In February 2023, the service planned to expand into Albania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, with Spain and Andorra being added in the first quarter of 2023. SkyShowtime CEO Monty Sarhan stated that the company had “blown past our internal projections in every single market” and was “pacing well ahead of what we expected.”

At the brand’s official launch event in Amsterdam, Sarhan discussed the company’s content offerings, saying, “We have an amazing content pipeline. Between Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Peacock, Paramount Plus, Showtime, Sky Studios, we have the best content in the world coming to us. We are going to have over 30 movies a year. Once we get fully up and running, we are going to have over 30 series every year. That’s amazing. And that is it’s really providing great value for consumers at a great price.” Sarhan also highlighted that SkyShowtime would feature the Taylor Sheridan universe shows, stating, “We are going to be the exclusive home for those shows in Europe.”

In addition to new blockbuster films, premium scripted series, and kids and family content, SkyShowtime offered “a curated selection of library titles and box sets from Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation, Paramount+, Showtime, Sky Studios, and Peacock,” along with local original programming, documentaries, and specials. Further details on programming and pricing for SkyShowtime‘s Central and Eastern European launch were set to be announced before the mid-December launch.

As Paramount expands its streaming service into Eastern Europe, will the region see an increase in local production? Hungary, a hub for international productions, has already played host to numerous film and television projects.

Hungary has a well-developed film industry and has attracted numerous international productions in recent years due to its skilled workforce, competitive pricing, and diverse locations. Some streaming platforms, such as Netflix and Amazon, have also produced content in Hungary, including television series and feature films.

Films and series that were filmed in Hungary by major streaming players:

Paramount:

Blade Runner 2049
Hercules

Disney:

Moon Kinght

Warner:

Spy (2015)
Red Sparrow

Netflix:

The Witcher
The Last Kingdom
The Crown
Marco Polo
The Alienist
The Spy
Shadow and Bone

Amazon:

Jack Ryan