Paramount Plus will be launching in the UK in the summer.
The European launch had been teased last year, but this summer launch window was revealed as part of the ViacomCBS' Investor Day announcements, although we didn't get a specific launch date.
The UK version of Paramount Plus will feature local drama and documentary content alongside the expansive catalog of shows and movies that's available. Paramount+ plans to greenlight 50 new international scripted shows in 2022, and the two UK series are A Gentleman in Moscow (based on the best-selling novel by Amor Towles and Sexy Beast, a prequel series to the hit cult classic film of the same name with The Sopranos' Michael Caleo signed on as showrunner.
Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer for ViacomCBS UK, said: "These titles give a flavor of the high-quality local content we are lining up for Paramount Plus and we look forward to sharing details of more series from UK indies in the coming weeks. We still want to hear the best ideas out there as we plan towards the UK launch of Paramount Plus and beyond."
These shows join a whole host of previously announced Paramount Plus original programming, including Fatal Attraction, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Rabbit Hole, and The Offer, as well as MTV Unplugged, and Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years.
This summer, #ParamountPlus will come to the UK, bringing all of our shows and movies to British audiences!February 15, 2022
Along with all this UK-specific news, there was a slew of new content announced for Paramount Plus. We'll be getting two new South Park movies a year for the next six years (with the show's entire archive joining the streamer), new SpongeBob Squarepants and Transformers shows, and we got an update on Beavis And Butthead Do The Universe, a movie that sees the duo catapulted forward in time to the present day and sets up a new series for the pair.
Plus, there was good news for Yellowstone fans, as Paramount renewed the hit series and revealed 1932, a new spin-off alongside fellow prequel series, 1883.
On the movie front, we learned a third Sonic the Hedgehog movie is in development alongside an animated series featuring Knuckles (who'll continue to be voiced by Idris Elba). All of Paramount's big-screen offerings are planned to launch on the service after they're shown in cinemas (starting in 2024).
The Paramount Plus UK launch could also be good news for fans awaiting a UK release date for the Halo TV series. The upcoming show is set to debut on Paramount Plus in the US on March 24 (and has already been renewed for a second season), but we'd still not heard when we should expect to see it across the pond.
Although it's just speculation, we'd expect a new streamer to launch with big hitters (like Halo) to try and tempt potential viewers into signing up, so we think the video game adaption could be among the library at launch in the UK.
