Paramount+ Cancels Most Original UK Programming

It was March 2022 when Paramount+ announced its first round of U.K. originals ahead of launching across the pond that coming summer. The streaming service promised this was just the tip of a very ambitious slate, aiming to greenlight 50 international titles by year's end to add to its already successful American-oriented hits like Star Trek: Discovery and Yellowstone. Paramount+ was also well-placed to pull off the stunt, as parent company Paramount owned the U.K.'s Channel 5, home of successful shows like All Creatures Great & Small and Dalgliesh.

But Paramount has been late to the streaming race from the outset, an irony, since it had technically been the first to recognize standalone streamers were the wave of the future in 2014, launching CBS All Access. But behind-the-scenes drama slowed its reaction when competitors caught on, and the switch to Paramount+ put it dead last in entering the race for relevance in the 2020s. Perhaps with a longer runway or more forgiving investors, it might have been able to hold out, but by New Year's Day 2024, rumors were loud and clear the company was looking for a buyer. The company even forwent the Television Critics Association Press Tour, an extremely rare occurrence.

However, what is not a rumor is that Paramount+ and CBS are cleaning house and making themselves presentable for new ownership. That apparently includes shutting down the money-losing international series strategy, save for a few key shows.