Showtime to rebrand multiplex as Sho*BET

zeebre12

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Feb 25, 2015
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Showtime to rebrand one of its multiplex channel Showcase as Sho*BET. It will feature scripted series from BET and Showtime. I don't really see the point of this? Is this not basically what BET Her is already? It's hardly premium just seems recycling more content?
 
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Showtime to rebrand one of its multiplex channel Showcase as Sho*BET. It will feature scripted series from BET and Showtime. I don't really see the point of this? Is this not basically what BET Her is already? It's hardly premium just seems recycling more content?

BET has a streaming service called BET+, it is properly a Traditional Channel version of that.
 
It's simply Showtime using one of the newly acquired Viacom assets, BET, to enhance their appeal among black viewers. Kind of like how Starz has a channel called Starz in Black. I don't think it represents a big change in the overall Showtime service.
 
Yes, I remember when all of the Premium's were real Premiums. But today, there are so many choices, if someone doesn't like one, there are others.
 
Showtime has had some of my favorite series in recent years: Homeland, Ray Donovan, The Affair, Shameless, Nurse Jackie. Couple of great recent mini-series too: Escape at Dannemora and The Loudest Voice. For me, it's been one of the best sources of what I would call premium original content, along with HBO.

There are only a couple of Netflix series that rank at that level for me: The Crown and Stranger Things (although there have been several other things that were solid "B"s for me on Netflix). Everyone's taste is different, of course.
 
Showtime has had some of my favorite series in recent years: Homeland, Ray Donovan, The Affair, Shameless, Nurse Jackie. Couple of great recent mini-series too: Escape at Dannemora and The Loudest Voice. For me, it's been one of the best sources of what I would call premium original content, along with HBO.

There are only a couple of Netflix series that rank at that level for me: The Crown and Stranger Things (although there have been several other things that were solid "B"s for me on Netflix). Everyone's taste is different, of course.
When I had Netflix, I mostly used it for Mystery Science Theater 3000. :cool: :star
 
Now that the merger between CBS and Viacom has happened, we're going to see more integration of content and brands between the two sides. Biggest thing will be some new expanded version of CBS All Access that will also absorb Viacom content, the free Pluto TV content, and with the option to add in Showtime too, all in one app.

If I were running the joint, I'd probably yank the entire budget for scripted series for Paramount Network and move Yellowstone, 68 Whiskey and whatever future original series they've got planned for Paramount Network over to Showtime, leaving PN as just another basic cable net showing reality stuff (e.g. Bar Rescue, Lip Sync Battle) plus maybe old Paramount movies.

When they rebranded Spike to Paramount Network, I think the idea was to create their own competitor to FX (or, setting their sights a bit lower, maybe USA) that would be their basic cable home for quality scripted originals, along with reruns of whatever to fill in the rest of the time. But those scripted originals are expensive to produce and I don't see Paramount Network gaining much traction. Meanwhile, increasingly few folks turn to basic cable channels for that kind of content. Even FX, the king of basic cable high-quality originals, is folding their brand into Hulu, because the whole game is shifting to streaming.
 
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