If you haven’t already heard, Paramount Plus launched yesterday. But where is Yellowstone?
The new Paramount+ replaces CBS All Access with a new name and more options to stream. However, Yellowstone is not one of the shows available to watch with Paramount+. Undoubtedly, Yellowstone is Paramount’s most popular show currently. So, why isn’t it available on their new streaming service?
Why Isn’t Yellowstone on Paramount Plus?
The answer is actually pretty simple (and one that John Dutton would approve of). It’s more lucrative to stream the show elsewhere. Content licensing is a big business for ViacomCBS. So, they are currently betting that their most popular programs can make more money, and reach more people on other platforms. Yellowstone isn’t the only show to be harvested out. The popular animated comedy South Park can only be watched through HBO Max. And the famous teen show iCarly can be streamed through Netflix. Just last year, ViacomCBS made $6 billion from licensing – almost one-quarter of the company’s total revenue.
If they were to grant all of their own programmings to their own streaming service, they would lose a lot of money from licensing to other services. However, during an interview, ViacomCBS Bob Bakish shared that the company is trying to find a balance between licensing to other services and keeping shows for themselves. They have about 140,000 TV episodes and 4,000 films.
“We can’t keep all that for ourselves. It doesn’t make sense,” said Bakish. “It’s too much.”
So, for now, fans can stream Yellowstone on Paramount Plus’s rival Peacock, which has the exclusive rights to stream the seasons.
Will The New Prequel And Spin-Off Series Be Available On Paramount+?
Although the original series is only available on Peacock, Paramount Plus will stream the new prequel series Y:1883 and the spinoff series 6666. As the new Paramount+ competes with big-name streaming services like Netflix Amazon Prime Video, executives are also investing in programming they make themselves such as the new Yellowstone prequel and spin-off series. Only time will tell which streaming service will have just the right concoction of original series and movies to keep viewers hooked. Until then, get your Yellowstone fix on Peacock, and look out for the new series on Paramount Plus.
