Paramount+ surprised many last night as they removed over 17 movies and TV shows. This comes as last week Paramount+ announced the cancellation of several of its original shows, including “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies,” “Star Trek: Prodigy,” “Queen of the Universe,” and “The Game.” These cancellations have been made just as Paramount+ joins other media companies in making strategic cost-cutting decisions.
Now several original Paramount+ originals have been removed, including Inside Amy Schumer, have been removed. Other programs removed include Tell Me a Story, From Cradle to Stage, Ghislaine: Partner in Crime, Fantasy Football, and Snow Day, according to Deadline.
Paramount+ also removed 17 Nickelodeon Shows All In With Cam Newton, Allegra’s Window, Becca’s Bunch, Bella and the Bulldogs, Crashletes, Digby Dragon, The Fresh Beat Band, The Halo Effect, Legendary Dudas, Monsters vs. Aliens, Mutt & Stuff, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, Peter Rabbit, Pig Goat Banana Cricket, Ride and The Troop.
All of this is taking place just as Paramount+ is merging with Showtime today. With the platform undergoing this change, it is reassessing its content lineup.
While the listed shows and movies will be removed from the Paramount+ platform, they still might find new homes elsewhere. Paramount Television Studios, CBS Studios, and other production entities all will have the opportunity to sell them to other networks and streamers.
This move by Paramount+ to cancel these shows and remove other content is part of a broader trend among streaming platforms, including Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+, to streamline their content offerings while reducing overall costs. As the media landscape evolves, companies are making strategic decisions to focus on their most successful and promising properties.
Earlier this month, Disney announced it will take at least $1.5 billion in write-downs associated with its plans to remove content from its streaming services. This comes as Disney is looking to cut back on the amount of content it offers on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ to help cut costs by reducing what it has to pay for its content. Now Paramount is also making similar cuts to its lineup on Paramount+.
Rotating content is not new for services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon’s Prime Video. Though its something that many are not used to with Paramount+, especially when it comes to original programs.