Paramount+ is pruning its library, and removing international original shows and movies from various countries.
The company is also pulling back on plans to debut planned international programming on the service, and is moving towards focusing on local content in their respective markets, Cord Cutters News has confirmed. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report on the news.
The move comes as Paramount looks to pare down costs in an effort to get the money-losing streaming service into the black. While the media company has invested heavily in streaming, its investment hasn’t yet paid off. In the last quarter alone, Paramount’s streaming businesses posted an operating loss of $238 million.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Paramount+ removed the film At Midnight, Brazilian series Marcelo, Marmelo, Martelo, and U.K. show No Escape from foreign markets. Other international content set to appear on the service will not launch, it added. Some international programming would remain. In the U.S., some international titles will be dropped from the service.
The company is instead focusing its resources on its U.S. studio franchises, films, and shows, which it believes has the most potential for mass appeal around the world, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans. It does plan to produce international content for its free-to-air networks in Australia, Chile, and Argentina, the person said.
It’s part of a wider effort to pare down their libraries and reduce the financial burdens of the service. Last year saw Max remove a myriad of shows and movies, as well as canceling high-profile shows like Westworld, and Disney axing a number of shows and movies, including Willow, which had debuted just a few months earlier. Even Netflix has cut down on the number of shows and movies it put out last year.