Voot Select has now become the perfect place for most Paramount+ originals and the exclusive place to all upcoming Showtime Originals.
- Paramount+ includes the Halo TV series, based on the eponymous video game franchise; the Frasier reboot (with Kelsey Grammer returning) and the second season of dark comedy-drama Why Women Kill.
- Showtime Originals include the limited series revival of Michael C. Hall-led Dexter, the Ray Donovan movie with Liev Schreiber and the anthology series, The First Lady about wives of US Presidents.
Currently, Voot Select is priced at Rs. 499 per year which will eventually go up to Rs. 99 per month or Rs. 999 a year.
The Paramount+ Voot Select deal does not have early access to theatrical releases. It was announced in February, ViacomCBS, an owner of Paramount+ and has a 49 percent stake in Viacom18 that all 2021 Paramount Pictures like Mission: Impossible 7 and A Quiet Place Part II would be available on Paramount+ 45 days after their theatrical debut. The announcement was after WarnerMedia’s game-changing announcement that all Warner Bros. movies in 2021 would premiere in cinemas and on its HBO Max streaming service on the same day. It is must to note that unfortunately, Voot Select is not getting those films in India.
For Paramount Pictures, the movies are distributed by Viacom18 which has existing tie-ups with Amazon Prime Video and Netflix in India. After a Paramount film is released in theatres, it first arrives on Prime Video after 4-5 months and then six months later, it leaves Prime Video and heads to Netflix.
Will the latest deal lead to an eventual Paramount+ launch in India?
As stated by Voot Select chief Ferzad Palia, “As Paramount+ rules out globally, the strategy will be focused to see what decisions can be made for the India market. There will be more clarity on the Paramount+ entry into India in the next three to six months.”
Since last year, Showtime Voot Select has shows such as the Bryan Cranston-led Your Honor, the comedy Moonbase 8 and the docuseries The Reagans and all airing exclusively on Voot Select. In 2017, Hotstar signed up with Showtime when Viacom and CBS had yet to re-merge. All existing Showtime content such as Twin Peaks, Billions, Ray Donovan, Deadwood and The Loudest Voice will stay on Disney+ Hotstar.
It was revealed that Voot Select has crossed a million paid subscribers in less than a year since launch. It has claimed to become the fastest growing subscription-based Indian streaming service. The whole credit goes to the reality series Bigg Boss (available on Voot Select before TV) and originals such as psychological thriller The Gone Game with Arjun Mathur and Shweta Tripathi, Arshad Warsi starrer led crime thriller Asur and the whodunit The Raikar Case.
