CBS's streaming platforms doing better than expected, new Star Trek's series to boost CBS All Access
CBS Corp. has announced that its streaming platforms, CBS All Access and Showtime OTT will reach a combined total of 8 million subscribers a year earlier than previously anticipated.
The services, priced at $5.99 and $10.99 respectively, was previously expected to break through the 8 million subscriber barrier by 2020, but instead, it is now expected to do that a year early.
CBS is now projecting 16 million domestic subscribers by 2022.
The success of CBS All Access has largely been attributed to its association with the hit show 'Star Trek: Discovery', which exclusively streams on the platform and was responsible for a surge in subscribers when the show first aired in 2017.
And the streaming platform is expected to bring in more subscribers now that another Star Trek series has been announced. The new series will see Star Trek icon Patrick Stewart reprise his role as Jean-Luc Picard from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', and will continue the story 20 years after the last movie featuring the "Next Generation" cast in the series.
Despite having their own streaming platform, Amazon has launched Amazon Channels that helps consumers subscribe and view competing streaming platforms all via Amazon's app and devices. And this, CBS CEO Les Moonves says, has been a great help in securing new subscribers for CBS's streaming platforms.
"They've been at the top of the list. We get more [subs] from them than any of our partners," said Moonves. "We like what they do."
Moonves also confirmed the strategy for these platforms is to concentrate on original programming, noting that these shows are helping to drive subscriber growth.
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