LAS VEGAS — The flood of streaming services that have entered the pay TV marketplace in the past decade have been viewed as signs of the apocalypse for the traditional MVPDs.
ViacomCBS’ digital leader said the company was on track to reach its previously stated target of amassing 25 million total subscribers acrossand the standalone Showtime streaming app by the end of 2022. He noted that ViacomCBS is the biggest player in digital content among its media conglomerate peers, behind only the tech giants. In ComScore’s monthly rankings ViacomCBS and its CBS predecessor typically lands in the No. 6 or No. 7 slot, although that may change with the onset of Disney Plus.
CBS All Access is growing at a good clip thanks to a stepped up investment in original content, DeBevoise said. CBS is banking on big properties liketo keep churn to a minimum. CBSN, the free ad-supported news service, is also enjoying a big spike at present in light of the escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran and the quickening pace of the 2020 presidential race. “Picard,” a glossy part of the plan to deliver “a tentpole every quarter,” launches Jan. 23, he said.
“The one place we hadn’t been able to place the service yet was the set-top box,” DeBevoise said. He aims for the Comcast pact to be the first of many MVPD deals to come.