CBS All Access is getting a makeover as it heads into the new year and it's bringing with it an onslaught of programming that they hope will sustain interest in the highly competitive streaming market.
The company plans to rebrand CBS All Access as Paramount+ in early 2021, stocking the expanded service with originals that have close ties to well-known franchises, from THE GODFATHER to Criminal Minds to The Game. CEO Bob Bakish had this to say about the rebranding:
"Paramount is an iconic and storied brand beloved by consumers all over the world, and it is synonymous with quality, integrity, and world-class storytelling. With Paramount+, we’re excited to establish one global streaming brand in the broad-pay segment that will draw on the sheer breadth and depth of the ViacomCBS portfolio to offer an extraordinary collection of content for everyone to enjoy."
Original programming will be a top concern for the streamer, offering a mix of scripted, unscripted, and kids’ series. Among the projects in the works is The Offer, a 10-episode scripted limited series from writer-executive producer Michael Tolkin about Al Ruddy’s experience producing THE GODFATHER. CBS All Access added the GODFATHER trilogy to its catalog this summer but will share the films with NBCUniversal's Peacock, which will up the streaming exposure for the classic titles through a sizable licensing deal with ViacomCBS that gives it the rights for a limited exclusive window from 2021 to 2023.
CBS TV Studios and Grammnet Productions are also developing a revival of Mara Brock Akil sitcom The Game, which ran for nine seasons on The CW and BET and now streams on Netflix, as part of BET’s programming on the streamer. There was talk of bringing The Game back via The CW but the network passed on the proposed pilot. It looks like the new Paramount+ is where it will find the right home. Also on deck is a Taylor Sheridan spy drama called Lioness. The show follows a young Marine recruited to befriend the daughter of a terrorist in order to bring the organization down.
Paramount+ will also be the home of The Real Criminal Minds, a true-crime docuseries based on the long-running ABC procedural from CBS TV Studios that ended in February and a reimagined Behind the Music from MTV that looks at the 40 biggest artists of the past 40 years.
In addition to the new series launching on Paramount+, the streamer will still house the popular CBS All Access series' The Good Fight, Star Trek: Discovery, and Star Trek: Picard, to name a few. Also, in the lead-up to the rebrand, ViacomCBS has been filling CBS All Access with additional programming from its portfolio of networks, including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon, with plans to offer a library of 30,000 TV episodes and movies.