Moonves Says CBS, Showtime Have 2 Million Total OTT Subs

Related: CBS Reports Higher Earnings for Second Quarter

For the first time, CBS has disclosed how many subscribers it has for its over-the-top offerings.

CBS CEO Les Moonves, speaking on the company's earnings call Thursday afternoon, said the company has surpassed 2 million subscribers for CBS All Access and Showtime's OTT product. He said the subs are evenly split between the two services.

That number is "well ahead of where we thought we'd be," Moonves said.

Related: CBS Increases Stock Dividend By 20%

CBS All Access will feature a new Star Trek series, and Moonves said that with SVOD licensing agreements, that series will be profitable even before it airs.

At its investor day in March, CBS set a goal of having 8 million OTT subscribers for CBS All Access and Showtime, generating $800 million in new revenue. "With more than 2 million between them already, we're confident this will be easily achieved," he said.

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In addition to Star Trek, All Access will also feature a spinoff from The Good Wife.

At Showtime, new seasons of original series are being staggered to bring in and maintain subscribers. The new season of Ray Donovan brought in new Showtime subscribers in July. Later this year, Shameless, The Affair and Homeland will all launch in different months.

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Moonves said the reboot of Twin Peaks has just finished shooting. When it launches next year, Moonves said he expects a surge in subs because it has a cadre of loyal fans.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.