When is a staffing announcement not a staffing announcement? When it suggests a major shift in the way we consume media, that’s when. While most personnel decisions never rise above the industry trades, the recent news that Paramount was moving on from CEO Jim Gianopulos and replacing him with Nickelodeon executive Brian Robbins sent minor shockwaves through the industry for what it means in the ongoing streaming-versus-theatrical debate.
READ MORE: New ‘Paranormal Activity’ & ‘Pet Sematary’ Films Coming To Paramount+
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the shift from Gianopulos to Robbins may be part of a bigger shift away from expensive theatrical releases and towards their portfolio of Paramount+ streaming services. While ViacomCBS’s bundle of streaming services — Paramount+, Showtime, BET+, and more — have lagged behind other streaming platforms in terms of subscribers, the platform does have a few cornerstone properties (“Yellowstone,” “Star Trek“) and impressive plans for the future.
As a reminder, ViacomCBS announced a slew of high-profile streaming titles during its 2021 investor day celebration, including upcoming adaptations of “The Italian Job” and “Fatal Attraction.” The company also announced plans to release “three-to-four” new titles each year to their streaming services, with high-profile horror entries in the “Paranormal Activity” and “Pet Semetary” franchises headed to the platform in the years to come. If the changes at Paramount are any indication, the studio’s plans have accelerated somewhat in 2021, with Paramount+ playing an even bigger role in their distribution model than we originally expected.
Is this good for streaming? Bad for cinema? Those debates will continue to unfold on opinion pages and social media platforms for years to come. Regardless, the real winners here are those dedicated Paramount+ subscribers who have planted their flag on ViacomCBS instead of the dozen other options available. The wind certainly appears to be blowing your way.