Tricolor agrees licensing deal with ViacomCBS

Russian pay TV operator Tricolor has agreed a major licensing deal with ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group, which gives the operator rights to broadcast over 120 films from Paramount Pictures’ library.

Among the titles included in the deal are recent global releases A Quiet Place, Rocketman, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Gemini Man, Wonder Park, as well as movies including the Transformers films.

Paramount Pictures’ films will be aired on Tricolor’s own channels. The studio granted the operator rights to broadcast films via satellite and also simultaneously via the internet.

Some content will be shown on Tricolor’s UHD channel Cinema UHD, including XXX: Return of Xander Cage, World War Z, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol andStar Trek Beyond.

The pair have collaborated for a number of years. Most recently, in December 2019 the operator signed a deal with the studio for over 100 films to be shown via subscription video-on-demand on Tricolor’s online cinema platform, with limited exclusivity for certain movies, among them Bumblebee, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Instant Family, Pet Semataryand others.

“This new deal for Paramount Pictures films makes our content offer for clients even more diverse. Movies from one of the world’s leading studios will allow us to increase the audience of our own channels; it is especially important for Tricolor, since we are now focusing on niche channels,” said Arsen Khomutov, Content Director for Tricolor.

“We are delighted to be extending our relationship with Tricolor with this new agreement and look forward to bringing some of our most popular and exciting films to Tricolor’s many subscribers,” said Lisa Kramer, executive vice president, International Television Licensing, ViacomCBS.