Projects like 1923 and Top Gun: Maverick are proving to be some of the best things to ever happen to Paramount+.
Thanks to the Taylor Sheridan Yellowstone prequel and Tom Cruise’s blockbuster hit, the streaming giant gained about 10 million new subscribers since September, according to a quarterly report released by the company and shared by The Hollywood Reporter.
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The gain sets a record for Paramount+. To date, the streamer has 77 million total paid subscribers.
“Subscriber growth was driven by a strong content slate, including the NFL, the expansion of existing franchises like Top Gun: Maverick and 1923, the success of new franchises like Tulsa King and Smile, as well as CBS’ overall entertainment slate,” the company said in a release. “Internationally, Yellowstone and Top Gun: Maverick were top acquisition drivers for the service.”
While the above series and movies are only available behind a paywall, Paramount’s free streaming service, Pluto TV, also saw substantial growth last quarter. The platform had 6.5 million new people sign up, which brought the total count to 78.5 million.
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘1923’ Set New Streaming Records for Paramount+
Paramount + has made some major changes over the year, and despite going through a round of layoffs, Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall believes it could see up to $400 million in cost savings soon.
“Paramount continues to demonstrate the success of its global multiplatform strategy, with popular content at its core,” Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish said on Thursday, Feb. 16. “Nowhere was this more evident than in the growth of Paramount+, which added a record 9.9 million subscribers in the fourth quarter, driven by hit content like Top Gun: Maverick, 1923 and Criminal Minds: Evolution.
“In addition, in 2022, Paramount Pictures had six films open at number 1 in the U.S. box office,” he continued. “And Paramount regained its position as the most-watched media family in linear television.”
Top Gun: Maverick moved to the platform on December 22 after enjoying a record-breaking seven-month run in theaters. During Its debut weekend on Paramount+, it broke another record and become the streamer’s most-watched movie ever.
1923 had similar success during its premiere weekend that same month, Deadline shared. The Harrison Ford-helmed series set a new record as the most-watched premiere in the country, which beat the previous record by almost 80% when it brought 7.4 million total viewers to the screen across all of the available platforms.
