Comcast and ViacomCBS launch SkyShowtime streaming service in Europe but not UK

Much of Europe will have yet another US subscription video on demand service available after comms giants Comcast and ViacomCBS decided to pool their content.

SkyShowtime presumably gets is name from the two brands the companies think will mean most to European consumers. It will offer up SVoD from Showtime, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+ Originals, Sky Studios, Universal Pictures, and Peacock to lucky punters in Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

“With the launch of SkyShowtime we are well positioned to utilize our global content engine to create a compelling streaming offering, quickly and at scale, with a smart strategic phased investment,” said Raffaele Annecchino, CEO of ViacomCBS Networks International. “As a complement to our recently announced Paramount+ partnership with Sky in the UK, Italy, and Germany, SkyShowtime represents a huge opportunity to accelerate our market expansion and build a leadership position in SVOD in Europe.”

“Our new streaming service, SkyShowtime, will combine the best of the US and Europe with iconic brands and world-class entertainment for millions of consumers in more than 20 new markets in Europe,” said Dana Strong, Group Chief Executive of Sky. “On the heels of Peacock coming to Sky, this partnership provides an innovative approach to quickly scale internationally and monetize content across Europe.”

Once he got the corporate gibberish out of his system, Annecchino’s canned quote explains the absence of the UK, Italy, and Germany from the deal, although it’s not clear how comparable their packages are. France doesn’t seem to have much of a Sky presence. SkyShowtime will be a 50/50 joint venture but the partners haven’t got around to deciding how much to charge for it yet.