Pam Kaufman, Lisa Kramer Talk Paramount International Strategy

Paramount Global’s Pam Kaufman and Lisa Kramer shared what’s driving the company’s international strategy across streaming, networks and content licensing at NATPE in Miami, including unveiling two new hub-style licensing deals for Paramount+ in the Philippines and India.

“2023 was a phenomenal year for Paramount for a variety of reasons,” said Kaufman, president and CEO of international markets and global consumer products and experiences, in conversation with World Screen’s Mansha Daswani. “We’re firing on all cylinders.”

Kaufman stressed the breadth and depth of the company’s content slate across key theatricals, franchises, series, local adaptations and more and highlighted partnerships for Paramount+, such as those with Walmart and Delta.

“Everything we’re doing as a company, whether it’s our content, partnerships or the way we work in streaming, is all a ‘One Paramount’ approach. We have a lot of content and a lot of platforms. In 2023 we made it all tighter in terms of how we work together. We’re prioritizing content and franchises, markets we’re going to, we’re thinking about how that content is moving across all of those platforms.”

It was a less transformative year for Paramount Global Content Distribution, said Kramer, president of international TV licensing. “We never exited this space. We had robust sales. What did change for us was that we started collaborating across divisions. We found new flexibility, more windows; it strengthened our business.”

Kramer then talked about the hub-style licensing deals for Paramount+. “It’s our exciting approach to licensing for subscription clients in markets where Paramount+ is not. Outside of the Paramount+ footprint, our traditional sales licensing is engaging with our licensees and taking those traditional license agreements and expanding them to ensure that we have proper brand representation across our entire company. And then we are adding the Paramount+ branding to it. So you can get a bespoke Paramount Global content offering, fully embedded in our partners’ traditional owned-and-operated services and channels. It’s powered now with this Paramount+ destination brand to help them drive and retain subscribers. We call it the triple win, for our partners, for consumers and for Paramount. It allows those partners to tap into the enormous investment Paramount Global has been making in content, as well as the Paramount+ brand equity. Consumers get an opportunity, through an efficient model, to access their favorite Paramount content. And obviously, for us, we are engaging in content licensing, which has inherent benefits, most importantly in today’s market, instant profitability and cash flow.”

The company has previously announced deals in Greece and Belgium. During the keynote, Kramer broke news of two more alliances, with Blast TV in the Philippines and Jio Cinema in India.

“Putting our content all over the world is a huge priority for us,” Kaufman said. “We have our owned-and-operated services, but what’s so exciting about working with Lisa is it gives us an opportunity to also put our content in markets where we don’t have an owned-and-operated service. It puts our IP in front of the consumer. It’s such an important part of our model. I run our global consumer products group. Putting our content in front of as many consumers as possible is so important.”

Kaufman then discussed the growth of Paramount’s FAST service Pluto TV. “It’s a $1 billion business for Paramount. It’s in 35 markets and growing. It has 2,000 channels and over 400 partners. It is an exciting product for us.”

Kramer weighed in on Paramount’s sustained commitment to content licensing, even at a time when some competitors were holding onto their slates for their own services. “Third-party content licensing for us is a multibillion-dollar business, so it’s obviously a core financial component for the company. It also provides the cash that fuels the engine to create more content. There is much more than the obvious financial benefits. For a television distribution strategy to provide that real value, it takes a heavy diet of third-party licensing because you need that consumer reach. That’s what creates the value for your catalog. Paramount has beloved IP all over the world. They would not have the global resonance that they have without our third-party partners, without content licensing, to create that truly global audience. So the value to the company, besides the license fees, obviously, is for Pam’s consumer-products business and for growing and sustaining television series franchises year over year. It supports our theatrical business in terms of releasing franchise films. It is about creating incredible value for that IP and that long tail that we are all hoping for. It’s a virtuous cycle.”

Kaufman highlighted the success of Paramount’s broadcast outlets and pay networks internationally. “Our TV media business continues to be incredibly strong. It continues to drive our overall ecosystem. I’m excited about consumer products and experiences. From a Paramount perspective, we have a diverse portfolio and a diverse revenue stream. I’m feeling confident for 2024, despite the dynamic challenges happening in the industry.”