In their Q2 earnings call last week, ViacomCBS’s CEO Bob Bakish reiterated his support for distributing Paramount's major film releases using an exclusive theatrical window, indicating that a 30-45 day window was the “sweet spot” and “overall direction” they intended to follow.
Despite this overall strategy, Paramount will maintain its current plans to release several films this year, both in theatres and on its Paramount+ streaming service. The next example of this is Paw Patrol: The Movie, scheduled to debut on 8/20. Bakish explained that this was a specific case, based on the inability of families to vaccinate children under 12 years old, which could make some parents uncomfortable about a family outing to the theatre.
In their earnings call, Viacom did not report subscriber numbers for Paramount+, perhaps indicating that growth for the streaming service has been sluggish. With intense competition in the streaming space, Viacom may continue to direct films to Paramount+ to boost attention and interest in the service.
See Also: ViacomCBS Global Streaming Subscribers Top 42M, Up 6.5M In Q2, Powered By Paramount+ (Deadline)
