Paramount+ is the latest streaming platform to launch in Ireland

The latest streaming giant to take on Netflix and Disney+ has launched in Ireland.

aramount+ costs €7.99 per month but is free for existing Sky Cinema subscribers.

The platform will rely on shows like Spongebob Squarepants, Yellowstone, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to attract subscribers.

It will feature other content from Paramount television networks including ShowTime, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and MTV.

It will also be available on the usual tech platforms, including its own app on Apple and Android, as well as Apple TV, Chromecast and other set-top boxes.

However, it may be a while before the streaming platform becomes available on some new TVs like giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+. The company says it will be available for Samsung Smart TVs purchased after 2017.

Paramount+ enters an increasingly crowded streaming ecosystem with multiple reports suggesting the market is now saturated and consumers are considering cutting back due to a cost of living crisis.

Netflix recently saw its subscription base decline for the first time as competitors pumped billions of dollars into production budgets and grabbed the lion’s share of new streaming customers over the past year.

Still, the online TV giant is still the biggest streaming platform out there, with 221 million subscribers.

Disney+ recently added 8 million subscribers and now has 138 million total paying customers thanks to exclusive hosting of Star Wars and Pixel content, as well as the vast majority of Marvel movies and TV shows.

Paramount+ is hoping that newer titles like Halo, The Offer, The First Lady, and Jerry & Marge Go Large can eat away at its rivals’ market share here.

It also retains the rights to other UK dramas including Sexy Beast, A Gentleman in Moscow, Flatshare, The Burning Girls, The Ex-Wife and The Blue.

Paramount+ also launches in the UK this week, with continental European countries to follow later this year.

“The addition of Paramount+ to our strong portfolio of free-to-air, pay-TV and streaming services will expand choice for our audiences in the UK and Ireland,” said Maria Kyriacou, President of Paramount for Australia, Canada and Israel and Great Britain.

“Paramount+ will be a one-stop destination for Paramount’s biggest brands, where fans of all ages can find exclusive original premium content, global hits and discover a world of favorites from Paramount’s extensive catalog.”

Also coming this year are Paramount+ exclusives The Thing About Pam and Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons for the UK and Ireland service. They join other titles including South Park: Post Covid, Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber and The Man Who Fell to Earth.