Paramount+ will bring watch parties to Twitter under new Viacom deal

Twitter and ViacomCBS have penned a new multi-year digital content deal that, among other things, will bring a trio of Paramount+ watch parties to the social media platform. ViacomCBS plans to utilize Twitter's platform to promote digital content, including its Paramount+ streaming service, using a variety of formats like Twitter Moments and highlights.

ViacomCBS announced the new deal on November 10, revealing that it will include three Twitter Watch Parties centered around "select highly anticipated original series." The company didn't reveal which shows will get the Twitter Watch Parties, however, nor when it plans to launch them on the social media platform.

Twitter Watch Parties isn't a new feature; it has been around for a while to bring fans together for a joint viewing session. The platform was designed to facilitate a wide variety of genres, making it possible to, for example, watch a live sports event with other team fans from around the world.

The social media platform has leaned heavily into digital video, including major live broadcasts. Back in July, for example, Twitter and the NFL extended their ongoing partnership with another multi-year deal. Under that agreement, the NFL plans to produce exclusive content for Twitter Spaces for the 2021 NFL season, in addition to sharing game highlights and other video content.

Paramount+, meanwhile, is the rebranded platform formerly known as CBS All Access. In addition to providing access to the vast CBS television catalog, movies, and live channel viewing, the streaming service also has a number of original shows like Why Women Kill and Star Trek: Discovery.

This isn't the first deal between Twitter and ViacomCBS; the two recently teamed to offer content from BET Awards and the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. Among other things, this deal involved live streaming this year's BET Awards red carpet on Twitter. ViacomCBS says this latest agreement covers all of the markets it and Twitter operate in.