What happened
Shares of Paramount Global (PARA 2.91%) rose 34% in January, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The media and entertainment studio bounced back from a 44% price drop in 2022 as a rebranding and restructuring of the Showtime premium content channel evolved from rumor to reality.
So what
Combining the former premium cable channel Showtime with the Paramount+ video-streaming app is not exactly new. Paramount introduced a tightly integrated "Paramount+ With Showtime" bundle in August 2022. However, the integration will soon be much tighter. The two streaming platforms will be combined into one service later this year, adopting the name of the bundle package for the combined platform.
In a staff memo seen and shared by several media outlets, Paramount CEO Bob Bakish outlined the future of a multiplatform service under a single brand. In addition, the internal merger will make the U.S. instance of Paramount+ more like its international versions, where Showtime already operates as an additional content source within a unified service package.
Moreover, Paramount will cull the merged content platform's content library by taking budgets away from projects that "account for less than 10% of our views." As a result, some shows are being canceled and others are searching for new homes with other streaming providers. At the same time, some original shows made for Paramount+ will make the leap onto the company's traditional TV networks.
Investors were quick to embrace this idea, accelerating a marketwide updraft from positive macroeconomic rumblings. By comparison, the S&P 500 market index rose 4.6% in January.
Now what
I can't help but notice that master investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A -0.34%) (BRK.B -0.01%) disclosed a 15% ownership stake in Paramount last November, not long after the introduction of the Paramount+ With Showtime bundle.
Was the Oracle of Omaha behind the decision to reshuffle Paramount's deck of streaming services?
There is no indisputable evidence for that idea, but it would fit with Buffett's love of optimized business plans and classic brands. I'm sure Berkshire had a say in this plan, thanks to its extensive ownership of Paramount's stock. And if you want solid business advice, it's hard to come up with a better mentor than Buffett and his team.
Either way, it makes sense to simplify the divided service offering for streaming content. The sector may be on the verge of a larger consolidation where rival streaming providers either partner or buy each other. Paramount's self-merger could set the company up for a stronger position in that race.
