ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC) (PARA.A 3.99%), the product of a recent merger of television powerhouses Viacom and CBS, is planning to launch a new streaming video service, according to a Thursday report from CNBC that cited people familiar with the matter.
The new service would be marketed side by side with an existing streaming video service called CBS All Access, utilizing the same content but adding programming from MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, and more. ViacomCBS also owns the popular Star Trek franchise.
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Pricing has not yet been established, though the top-tiered option of a multi-tiered offering wouldn't cost a viewer more than $10 per month. A free, ad-supported version would also be available, according to sources, and ViacomCBS's premium movie channel Showtime could be added to subscriptions for an additional monthly fee.
If ViacomCBS does launch this on-demand video service, it would most closely resemble the upcoming Peacock service from Comcast (CMCSA 0.35%) unit NBCUniversal, which will be available at three different price points including a no-cost one. The free version will include the most ads, while the ad-free version will sell for $9.99 per month. The mid-point option costs $4.99 per month, and is subsidized with some advertising. Hulu, run by Walt Disney, also offers ad-supported video content at a price lower than its ad-free option. Peacock is arguably the first product of its ilk in the ad-supported streaming arena, however, bringing back the era of antenna-delivered programming entirely supported by the television commercials airing between and during programs.
ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish has yet to confirm or deny plans for another streaming option beyond CBS All Access.
