ViacomCBS Expands Distribution Deal With Disney’s Hulu Plus Live TV

ViacomCBS has expanded their distribution deal with Disney-owned Hulu, giving subscribers an opportunity to catch more ViacomCBS-owned programming streaming live via Hulu’s live TV subscription, Hulu + Live TV. Dexscribed as a “comprehensive, multi-year deal,” financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. It includes continued carriage of CBS broadcast stations, CBS Sports Network, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel, and The CW, as well as continued distribution of ViacomCBS’ premium subscription service, SHOWTIME®. The deal will also introduce fourteen additional ViacomCBS networks to Hulu + Live TV, including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, VH1, CMT, Nick Jr., TV Land, BET Her, MTV2, NickToons, TeenNick and MTV Classic.

The expanded agreement comes as CBS All Access prepares to rebrand as Paramount Plus, a move that some had expected would sour relationships with other streamers. It appears as though, at least for now, ViacomCBS will not guard exclusivity over their content quite as jealously as Disney and NBC Universal have following the launches of Disney+ and Peacock.

“We are excited to have reached an expanded agreement with Hulu that underscores the value of our powerful portfolio of brands to next-generation TV platforms and viewers,” said Ray Hopkins, President, U.S. Networks Distribution, ViacomCBS, in a statement. “Hulu continues to be a great partner, and this agreement ensures that Hulu + Live TV subscribers are now able to enjoy the full breadth of our leading content across news, sports and entertainment for the first time.”

The agreement is good in the U.S. and Canada, with regional variations for local licensing deals with CBS and The CW’s terrestrial networks.

CBS All Access began expanding earlier this year by adding properties from across other Viacom brands. Leading up to the Paramount+ rebranding, CBS All Access will expand its content offering to more than 30,000 episodes and movies and continue to develop additional original series across brands including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, and more.

“The response from consumers in just the early weeks of the service’s expansion already illustrates the tremendous opportunity ahead of us in bringing these phenomenal ViacomCBS brands together in one premium streaming home under the new Paramount+ name,” said Marc DeBevoise, Chief Digital Officer, ViacomCBS and President & Chief Executive Officer, ViacomCBS Digital. “With the addition of even more content from across the portfolio as well as the new exclusive originals we are announcing today, we look forward to the early 2021 rebrand and bringing existing and new subscribers more of the compelling, genre-spanning live sports, breaking news and mountain of entertainment ViacomCBS has to offer.”