Yahoo News European Streamer SkyShowtime to Launch Ad Tier (Exclusive)
SkyShowtime, the European streaming joint venture of Comcast and Paramount Global, will introduce an advertising-supported tier in April. The new Standard with Ads plan will be offered alongside its existing ad-free tier, which will be renamed Standard Plus.
The ad-supported service plan will be available from April 23 and roll out across all of SkyShowtime’s more than 20 markets, including in Eastern and Central Europe, the Nordics, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.
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Pricing will vary per market. For example, the ad tier will cost €4.99 ($5.37) in Spain, with the price of the ad-free service rising from €5.99 to €7.99 ($8.60); the annual subscription prices will be €39.99 with ads and €62.99 without. In the Netherlands, the ad tier will be available for €5.99 ($6.45), with the ad-free service price rising from €6.99 to €8.99 ($9.68).
The ad tier will feature “all of SkyShowtime’s blockbuster movies, new and exclusive series, and local original programming at a great price,” the company said. And it said that the launch “makes SkyShowtime the first major streaming service to launch an ad-supported plan across all of its markets.”
The news of the ad tier debut comes nearly a year after the streamer finished its launches across European markets and at a time when ad-supported tiers have become popular ways for entertainment companies to offer consumers more pricing options. Ad tiers are also seen in the industry as a way of making more revenue per user than from ad-free services.
“SkyShowtime has always been committed to offering great entertainment at a great price,” said SkyShowtime CEO Monty Sarhan. “We continue to invest in bringing the best of Hollywood and compelling local content to consumers in our markets. And with the launch of our new ad-supported plan, SkyShowtime continues to lead on value by providing consumers an even more affordable entertainment choice for the entire family.”
SkyShowtime offers subscribers content from its venture partners’ brands, including Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation, Paramount+, Showtime, Sky Studios, and Peacock. “As the home of the latest theatrical releases from both Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures, SkyShowtime will be premiering even more big films and is on track to once again have nearly 50 percent of total Hollywood box office,” the streamer said. “Upcoming blockbusters include Asteroid City from Wes Anderson, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Golden Globe awarded Oppenheimer, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.”
Among the original series hitting SkyShowtime in 2024 are the likes of A Gentleman in Moscow, Apples Never Fall, Halo season 2, Ted, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz. SkyShowtime also continues to invest in its own originals and local programming offerings.
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