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SkyShowtime
SkyShowtime is a European joint-venture between Comcast and Paramount Global which combines programming from the corporations Peacock and Paramount+ services as well as Sky Studios.[1] SkyShowtime launched in European markets where Sky does not operate their satellite and cable services, with viewers in countries like the United Kingdom and Ireland getting access to both Paramount+ and Peacock on their Sky Q and NOW boxes along with Sky Glass television sets instead.[2][3][4][5] HistoryOn 18 August 2021, Comcast and Paramount Global announced the formation of a joint venture to launch a new subscription video on demand service that would launch in over 20 European markets encompassing 90 million homes, including key markets such as Spain, Poland, Portugal, Netherlands, and the Nordic countries.[6] SkyShowtime was structured with equal investment and joint control by Paramount Global and Comcast.[7] On 11 January 2022, Monty Sarhan was named CEO of SkyShowtime.[8] The service was launched in the Nordic countries on 20 September 2022, where it replaced the previously operated Paramount+. It arrived in the Netherlands and Portugal on 25 October 2022.[9] On 14 December 2022, SkyShowtime launched in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Kosovo.[10] SkyShowtime launched on 14 February 2023 in the rest of Central and Eastern Europe (including Hungary and Poland, where it replaced the previously operated SVOD service of Paramount+, known as Paramount Play in Poland).[11] It finished its roll-out by launching in Spain and Andorra on 28 February 2023,[12] with its content later being incorporated as part of more expensive packages in the Spanish TV operator Movistar Plus+ at the beginning of 2024.[13][14] On 10 January 2023, SkyShowtime announced the acquisition of 21 HBO Max original scripted series produced in Europe that were initially developed for the HBO streaming platform and television channels across the Nordics, Spain, and Central and Eastern Europe.[15] In total, the acquired series accounted for over 150 hours of local original programming. The programming became available after Warner Bros. Discovery, as part of its post-merger restructuring, decided to no longer produce originals in the Nordics, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Netherlands.[16] The majority of the shows were already in production or had been already finished.[17][18] New shows that had never premiered on HBO were part of the deal and were branded as SkyShowtime Originals, including “ID” (Finland and Sweden), “The Winner” (Czechia and Slovakia) and “Warszawianka” (Poland). SkyShowtime also premiered the second season of the HBO España original series “Por H o Por B,”, the first season of which also became available on the service.[19] In its first year, SkyShowtime premiered ten Original Series, including four acquired as part of the HBO deal.[20] In addition to the streaming service, SkyShowtime also has two linear television channels in some of the regions where the service is available. These were initially available in the Nordic countries, inherited from Paramount+, before being expanded to Spain on 15 January 2024, albeit only one of the channels became available and is exclusive to the Spanish TV operator Movistar Plus+,[21] to Romania on 25 April 2024 exclusive to Digi,[22] and to Poland on 22 August 2024 exclusive to Play.[23] On 16 February 2024, it was announced that SkyShowtime would increase prices on 23 April in all of its territories except in Poland, while on the same day an ad tier would be launched, with its pricing being either reduced or retained in comparison with the original value of the service, depending on the region.[24] On 8 October 2024, it was announced that a new tier would be implemented under the name SkyShowtime Premium on 29 October across all territories. This new tier would allow for more downloads to watch offline, more simultaneous streams and the ability to watch content in 4K.[25] ProgrammingSkyShowtime features many series from the Law & Order franchise, library and new series from Showtime such as crime drama Dexter, family drama Ray Donovan, American Gigolo, and the Taylor Sheridan productions for Paramount Network and Paramount+ such as Yellowstone, and Tulsa King. It also includes other shows from Paramount+ such as Frasier[26] among others as well as originals such as Bosé. Regarding movies, the service includes films from Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures such as Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World Dominion, Minions: The Rise of Gru, The Northman, Sing 2, Trolls World Tour, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, The Lost City, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Nope, Belfast, Ambulance, and The Bad Guys.
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