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State of the Screens

Are Sports Finally Driving Growth on Streaming?

By November 10, 2023No Comments

Five big questions re: Paramount+ streaming:
1) How much revenue is Paramount generating from direct-to-consumer?
2) How many subscribers do they have?
3) What share of ad-supported streaming subscribers does Paramount+ account for?
4) What share of total TV time do Paramount+ and Pluto TV account for?
5) How much does Paramount spend on content?

Big question #1: How much revenue is Paramount generating from direct-to-consumer?

Paramount’s streaming revenue (YoY growth):
1) 2022-Q3 – $1.3B
2) 2023-Q3 – $1.7B (↑ 38%)

Paramount streaming profit (YoY growth):
1) 2022-Q3 – $343M
2) 2023-Q3 – -$238M (↑ 31%)

Paramount’s streaming revenue (% of total):
1) Subscription – $1.3B (74%)
2) Advertising – $430M (25%)
3) Other – $4M (1%)
4) Total – $1.7B

Paramount streaming ad revenue (YoY growth):
1) 2022-Q3 – $363M
2) 2023-Q3 – $430M (↑ 18%)

Paramount streaming subscription revenue (YoY growth):
1) 2022-Q3 – $863M
2) 2023-Q3 – $1.3B (↑ 46%)

8A13E.1-2023Q3D

Why this matters: Revenue from subscriptions is growing 2.5X faster than advertising.

Big question #2: How many subscribers do they have?

Paramount+ subscribers (YoY growth):
1) 2021-Q3 – 26M
2) 2022-Q3 – 46M (↑ 80%)
3) 2023-Q3 – 63M (↑ 38%)

Wow: The NFL is a major driver of new signups for Paramount+.

Big question #3: What share of ad-supported streaming subscribers does Paramount+ account for?

Quick answer: With ≈ 22% of all ad-supported streaming subscribers, Paramount+ is the 3rd largest in the U.S.

Why this matters: Like Peacock, Paramount+ is in a strong position to build a massive ad business since 43% of their subscribers are already on an ad-supported plan vs. 1% – 3% for Disney+/Netflix.

8B2A.5-2023FebB-1

Big question #4: What share of total TV time do Paramount+ and Pluto TV account for?

Quick answer: Paramount+ and Pluto TV account for 1.8% of total TV time and 5% of streaming TV time.

27B3.8-SEP2023E(Paramount)

Big question #5: How much does Paramount spend on content?

Estimated U.S. content spend for Paramount (YoY growth) according to Wells Fargo:
1) 2019 – $13.4B
2) 2020 – $14.0B (↑ 4%)
3) 2021 – $15.3B (↑ 9%)
4) 2022P – $16.4B (↑ 7%)
5) 2023P – $17.8B (↑ 9%)
6) 2024P – $19.5B (↑ 10%)
7) 2025P – $21.7B (↑ 11%)

13B.3-2022Paramount

Michael Beach

Michael Beach is the Chief Executive Officer of Cross Screen Media, a media analytics and software company that enables marketers to plan, activate, and measure CTV and linear TV at the local level. Michael is also the founder and editor of State of the Screens, a weekly newsletter focused on video advertising that is a must-read for thought leaders in the advertising industry. He has appeared in such publications as PBS Frontline, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Axios, CNBC and Bloomberg, and on NPR’s Planet Money podcast.