Paramount+ is planning to put podcasts on its signature streaming service, Business Insider has learned.
Paramount Skydance streaming executives told tech and product staffers in a Thursday (May 14) meeting that they see video podcasts as a growth opportunity.
Dan Reich, Paramount's Executive Vice President (EVP) of streaming product, told employees that his goal is to "get more of the video podcasts" and "slice those up into segments for us to surface" in the streamer's short-form feed, according to a recording of the call obtained by Business Insider.
Netflix added video podcasts in January, becoming the first Hollywood streamer to make a major push into the format long dominated by YouTube. Netflix licensed shows from podcast networks, including Bill Simmons' The Ringer. Other streamers, like Hulu and HBO Max, have let users watch companion podcasts in their apps, and Hulu began licensing podcasts this spring.
The theory is that podcasts — and short-form video, which Paramount+ has invested in — could help streamers boost engagement, particularly during the daytime.
Video podcasts can help with both "long-form discovery" and "viewing itself," Reich said.
A person familiar with Paramount's approach framed the podcast push as an exploration and as part of the company's culture of experimentation in tech and media.
Ellison's company distributes a handful of podcasts, including shows about hit shows Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Yellowstone and Survivor, as well as podcasts from late-night hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, and a continuation of Star Trek: Khan. Nickelodeon also has a partnership with Starglow to produce family-friendly podcasts inspired by the brand's popular preschool properties. Those podcasts don't currently appear on Paramount+, however.
Paramount is in talks with conservative podcaster Katie Miller — the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller — for a distribution deal, Axios reported on Thursday. Miller's podcast has featured interviews with many Trumpworld figures. Axios also reported that Paramount has spoken with podcast groups such as Jubilee Media.
Hugh Williams, a former Google exec who recently joined David Ellison's Paramount as an EVP and "Executive in Residence," said in the Thursday meeting that he's "pretty excited about podcasts."
"I think podcasts are great — I'm really glad we're getting into that space," Williams said on the call.
The product initiative to get podcasts onto Paramount+ began in early January and has a "target end" date of Tuesday, July 7, according to a screenshot of an internal project management dashboard viewed by Business Insider.
Another reference to the podcast project was labeled as a "key priority," a screenshot viewed by Business Insider showed.
Podcasts on Paramount+ could "exist as their own series," be tied to a franchise, or act as companion content, like an "aftershow," the screenshot said.
Jazzing up Paramount+
Paramount has been busy bolstering its namesake streamer.
Reich said on the Thursday call that his team was working with Paramount's news and sports groups to integrate some of their clips into the streamer.
"We're working with CBS Sports and CBS News to get all of their clips, sports highlights, news highlights into the service," Reich said. "That is a competitive advantage for us against companies like Netflix that don't have that volume of content."
Paramount+ added a short-form video feed in April on iOS mobile devices, which was a top first-quarter priority for the company.
The streamer is also looking to add interactive elements like a shopping feature and sports stats, which Williams nodded at.
"You can imagine sports scores, different ad formats, shoppable scenes," Williams said on the call. "I think there's just so much opportunity ahead of us."
Ellison's company is also combining the tech platforms for Paramount+ and Pluto TV this summer, and has brought together key technical teams to make that happen.
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