Paramount app revamped to leverage short video trend for increased user engagement

Paramount Skydance is stepping up its game to grab the attention of viewers, and they’re focusing on the small screen that we carry around everywhere – our mobile phones. The latest version of the Paramount+ app is now live for Apple iPhone users, offering a collection of short videos you can easily browse through. You’ll find sports highlights, CBS News clips, UFC moments, and trailers for exciting movies and shows all in one place, according to insiders in the know.

The idea behind this move is to get users hooked on checking out the app multiple times a day, much like we already do with TikTok or Instagram. If they succeed in getting us to spend more time on the app, Paramount may introduce cool new features like real-time stats during “UFC Fight Night” matches and UFC Numbered Events, or interactive content to keep us entertained.

Even though Paramount has some catching up to do, with just 2% of global streaming app usage in the first quarter of this year, it’s aiming high. By teaming up with Warner Bros Discovery to combine HBO Max and Paramount+, they could become the fourth-largest streaming service out there. But they’ve got some tough competition—Google’s YouTube blows Paramount+ out of the water with a whopping 59 times more users, according to Apptopia.

To attract new fans and keep the current ones engaged, Paramount might start working with popular online personalities or even roll out micro dramas—tiny video snippets that come together to tell a full story. And they’re not alone in this trend; other streaming services are also taking cues from social media to spice up their offerings. For instance, Netflix is diving into video podcasts with shows from well-known names like Pete Davidson, Michael Irvin, and Brian Williams. Amazon Prime Video, on the other hand, is teaming up with YouTube sensation MrBeast for a reality competition series called “Beast Games.”

In the fast-paced world of entertainment, it’s all about staying ahead of the game. Paramount has been making moves to cozy up to TikTok, hinting at possible collaborations down the road. Fun fact—they both have a common supporter in Oracle billionaire co-founder Larry Ellison. However, there’s no official agreement in place just yet, as Paramount and TikTok have clarified.

This effort to revamp the Paramount+ app is just part of a larger plan to shake things up at Paramount, including their streaming services like Paramount+ and Pluto TV. These changes were unveiled last week in presentations to advertisers, signaling that more exciting developments could be on the way.