Paramount+ to Raise Prices as It Merges Streaming With Showtime

Tyler Perry is in talks to purchase a majority stake of BET Media Group amid reports that parent company Paramount Global is exploring a sale of the asset, Variety has confirmed. Perry currently owns a minority stake in the operation run by CEO Scott Mills, which includes cablers BET and VH1, and also produces a large portion of the programming available on BET and streamer BET+, which he helped launch in 2019. Also among BET’s divisions is production company BET Studios, which counts Kenya Barris, Rashida Jones and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas as minority stake holders. Perry and BET have a long history, as the network helped fund his first feature, 2005’s “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” In 2017, Perry endeavored on a long-term film deal with Paramount, with a TV deal that began in May 2020. The partnership has been a lucrative and successful endeavor for Perry, Paramount Global president and CEO Bob Bakish and BET Networks president Scott Mills.

UPDATED with Tyler Perry interest: Paramount Global is talking with Tyler Perry about a deal for BET Media as the conglom explores a sale of a majority stake in the division.

filing Friday. The settlement is still subject to approval by Delaware’s Court of Chancery.CalPERS, California’s state pension fund, was the lead plaintiff in the litigation, which also named Shari Redstone and the Redstone family’s National Amusements as defendants.

Passionate Derek Ferguson has warned the Rangers board a mammoth rebuild is needed to reignite a "stale" squad and compete with Celtic.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Demi Singleton is the latest addition to the cast of the “Bass Reeves” series at Paramount+, Variety has learned exclusively. Singleton will appear in the period drama as a series regular opposite series lead David Oyelowo, who will star as the titular legendary lawman. Additional cast members include Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, and Grantham Coleman. Per the official logline, the show “will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”

EXCLUSIVE: Grantham Coleman (Rustin) is the newest addition to the Paramount+ limited series Bass Reeves, exec produced by and starring David Oyelowo.

Brian Austin Green fired back at his ex-fiancée Vanessa Marcil after a recent claim she made about raising their 20-year-old son Kassius. During an Instagram Q & A session that Marcil hosted on her Instagram Story, the 54-year-old actress answered a fan who asked her about co-parenting Kassius with the 49-year-old actor. "We didn't & don't co-parent.

Brian Austin Green praised Megan Fox while reacting to his ex Vanessa Marcil’s claim that she raised their their son Kassius “alone.”

Brian Austin Green praised Megan Fox while reacting to his ex Vanessa Marcil's claim that she raised their their son Kassius «alone.»Marcil recently held a Q&A session on her Instagram Stories and it's there where she was asked about her co-parenting situation with Green, or lack thereof. «We didn't & don't co-parent. I raised my son alone,» she responded to the fan's question.Green didn't hold back after posting a screenshot of her response. «So, I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to read continued lies from a 50+ year old woman on social media like she is still in high school,» he fired back.

Brian Austin Green is hitting back at ex Vanessa Marcil.

“Screw you guys, we’re going to sue,” a Cartman paraphrasing Warner Bros Discovery essentially said to Paramount Global and the series creators today in a scathing lawsuit over South Park streaming rights.

,” HBO Max said in a statement to TheWrap.Warner Bros. Discovery claims that Paramount’s priorities “changed drastically” upon the launch of Paramount+ in 2021, resulting in a “multi-year scheme to unfairly take advantage” of the former conglomerate by breaching its agreement and “stealing its content.”Per the 2019 agreement, where Warner/HBO outbid others in a competitive situation to garner the exclusive rights to the series, the company acquired the series’ entire catalog (23 seasons at the time) in addition to three new installments, totaling more than 300 episodes.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix, facing more competition globally in the streaming wars, has cut pricing in more than 100 markets worldwide — in some cases, chopping the price of monthly plans in half — to boost subscriber acquisition and retention. The streamer has reduced prices in countries and territories across Asia, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Netflix is not reducing prices in North America or Western Europe, its most mature markets. All told, the price reductions span more than 100 markets, according to research firm Ampere Analysis (see list, below). Those include Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Kenya, Iran, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Yemen, Jordan, Libya, Slovenia and Bulgaria.

The Paramount Global operation under Chris McCarthy continues to shift finished series to Showtime, which was added to his portfolio in November. The Waco sequel, Waco: The Aftermath, which had been produced for Paramount+, will now be carried by Showtime –debuting on streaming and on demand Friday, April 14, and on-air Sunday, April 16, at 10 PM.

Victoria and David Beckham are currently enjoying a ski holiday in the Alps with their two youngest children, Cruz, 18, and Harper, 11.As you'd expect from a fashion designer, Victoria looks effortlessly chic in the snow dressed head to toe in black Prada, complete with a Victoria Beckham branded beanie hat, but her ski slope choices did raise questions among fans.WATCH: Victoria Beckham's style evolution, from pop star to designer iconOne queried: "Who goes skiing with a full face of makeup???" while another asked: "Don't you get cold around your middle in your crop jacket?" referring to the fact VB was wearing an incredibly stylish chic cropped ski ensemble.Others were wowed by Victoria's stylish ensemble, writing: "Only VB could rock ski clothes," and: "Only Vic can look hot in skiing clothes. She is a damn style legend." Victoria Beckham looked incredibly chic on the slopesThe family seems to be having a fabulous time on their holiday, with Victoria choosing to skip the end of London Fashion Week in favour of family time, but the former Spice Girl has suffered from scrapes on the slopes in the past.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The David Oyelowo-led “Bass Reeves” series at Paramount+ from Taylor Sheridan has cast Barry Pepper in a series regular role, Variety has learned exclusively. Along with Oyelowo, Pepper joins a cast that also includes Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, and Lauren E. Banks. The series is based on the true story of the titular lawman. Per the official description, “Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”

Paramount Global’s CFO said the company will take a $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion hit in the current first quarter mostly on content as it restructures its streaming business, absorbing Showtime into Paramount+.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Paramount Global is preparing to hike the monthly price of Paramount+ later this year, and the company disclosed its intent to take as much as a $1.5 billion write-down from the integration of Showtime with the streaming platform. Paramount Global chief financial officer Naveen Chopra unveiled the pricing plan details and plans for a $1.3 billion-$1.5 billion impairment charge as Showtime is blended into Paramount+ in the U.S. Paramount is aiming for $700 million in savings as Showtime and Paramount+ become one. Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish acknowledged in a conference call with Wall Street analysts on Thursday morning that the company hit big “headwinds” in 2022 and that 2023 will not be a robust year for profits. “We are at peak investment in 2023” in Paramount+, Bakish said.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Paramount surpassed 77 million streaming subscribers in Q4, adding 10 million to Paramount+ alone to reach nearly 56 million customers for that platform. In comparison, the paid streamer added 4.6 million subscribers in the third quarter, reaching nearly 67 million global direct-to-consumer customers overall for Paramount by the end of September. During the fourth quarter, Paramount Global’s SVOD launched splashy Taylor Sheridan titles “1923,” yet another a prequel to his hit Paramount Network series “Yellowstone,” and the Sylvester Stallone-led “Tulsa King,” as well as the “Criminal Minds” revival “Criminal Minds: Evolution” and the streaming debut of “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Paramount Global’s success in streaming is hurting its bottom line The New York owner of the CBS broadcast network and the Paramount movie studio said that the costs of generating gains in streaming crimped the conglomerate’s operating income and forced a swing to a loss in its fiscal fourth quarter, the latest of the nation’s big media companies to show some of the wear and tear that the shift to court viewers who stream is taking on the industry’s financials. The company said it added 9.9 million subscribers to its Paramount+ streaming hub in the period and saw a new cohort of users come to its free, ad-supporters streaming venue Pluto. But those gains could not overcome a 93% decline in operating income., or a 7% decline in revenue among the company’s biggest business, its traditional TV networks. Paramount Global said the company swung to a loss, compared with a sizable profit in the year-earlier period.