Paramount pushes in: New streamers are still finding ways to grow

2/16/23 7:00PM

Mounting‍

‍Paramount+ just had its best quarter on record after welcoming 9.9 million new subscribers to the Plus party.

The bad news for those new subs? Things are only going to get more pricey from here on in. Paramount is keen to capitalize on its growing sub-count, making the decision to hike prices across its major markets after the wider company saw an advertising slump which sent sales down 7% for the quarter.

‍New kid on the couch

‍Since rebranding from CBS All Access back in early 2021, Paramount’s foray into streaming has been a blockbuster success, gaining subscribers every quarter, unlike some of its more long-standing rivals which have started to stagnate. Global smash hits like Top Gun: Maverick and the neo-Western series Yellowstone were highlighted as key international drivers for Q4, helping the platform to pull up a seat at the 50m+ club.

All told, Paramount+ now sits at 56m subscribers, up ~40m in 2 years, a clear sign that its partnership-based approach to the streaming game — it offered all Walmart+ members a free subscription last year, for example — is clearly paying off. While it’s still some way off Netflix, which recently deprived its 231 million-strong subscriber base of its shuffling “surprise me” feature, Paramount+ still looks to be on a healthy trajectory. It seems that there's still space on the couch for multiple streaming services to capture 50-100m strong audiences.

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Prediction markets show “One Battle After Another” leads in Oscar race for Best Picture

It’s finally Oscars week — and with voting officially closed, all that’s left to do is count the ballots and wait to see who wins this Sunday night.

This year, the acting categories have been the most interesting to watch, especially the showdown between “Marty Supreme” star Timothée Chalamet and “Sinners” actor Michael B. Jordan for Best Actor. While Chalamet was long the favorite, Jordan has caught up and overtaken him after winning the Actor Award.

(Event contracts are offered through Robinhood Derivatives, LLC — probabilities referenced or sourced from KalshiEx LLC or ForecastEx LLC.)

But perhaps the most exciting race of all is for Best Picture. Out of the 10 nominees, the two at the top are Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” both of which are studio releases from Warner Bros. Discovery.

Which will win the top prize seems to be split among award pundits and experts. As of Monday afternoon, Gold Derby still has “One Battle After Another” as the front-runner with odds of 76.87%. AwardsWatch, AwardsRadar, and Numlock Awards are also still predicting that “One Battle After Another” will take the statue for Best Picture.

On the other side, reporters from some major trade publications like Variety’s Clayton Davis and The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg predict that “Sinners” will take the top honor.

Odds in the prediction markets currently show that “One Battle After Another” is still ahead of “Sinners,” with the former priced in at 75% while the latter is priced at 23%.

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