Paramount on Wednesday removed nearly all content previously available on its Comedy Central, TV Land, CMT and MTV websites as part of a sweeping cost-cutting effort.
The site, which once housed a wealth of clips and related material, is now redirecting users to other sites, the people said. The Hollywood ReporterThe move came just days after the MTV News website was taken down. Paramount Network also directed users to its streaming platform, Paramount+. “As part of a broader change to our websites across Paramount, we've introduced a more streamlined version of our site to give fans the ability to watch their favorite shows on Paramount+,” Paramount said in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 17: (No UK newspapers) The MTV logo is seen at the MTV/T3 party held at Pierre Cardin's villa during the 56th Cannes International Film Festival in Cannes, France on May 17, 2003. (Photo by Steve Finn/Getty Images)
Instead of easy access to the Comedy Central site, fans will now see a pop-up window that reads, “Episodes of most Comedy Central series are no longer available to watch on this website, but you can watch Comedy Central through your TV provider. You can also subscribe to Paramount+ to watch many seasons of Comedy Central shows.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, similar directives have appeared on the websites of MTV, CMT, Paramount Network and TV Land.
Fans may be disappointed to learn that over 25 years of Daily Show clips have disappeared entirely, and that Colbert Report content will no longer be accessible on Paramount+. Late Nighter.
AUSTIN, TX – APRIL 07: Jelly Roll accepts the CMT Award for Best Performance of the Year for “Need A Favor” onstage during the 2024 CMT Music Awards at the Moody Center on April 7, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kahn/Getty Images via CMT)
The drastic content cuts are likely part of a cost-cutting effort at Paramount, which is currently reported to be more than $14 billion in debt.
Paramount co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins recently held a town hall meeting where they announced they would be embarking on cost-cutting measures that could result in some employee layoffs. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they are currently working on cutting more than $500 million in costs. (Related: MTV suddenly shuts down site, erases over 20 years of content)
“Paramount is considering selling certain assets it owns and has, in fact, already retained bankers to assist with this process, with the intention of using the proceeds from such sales to help pay down debt and strengthen its balance sheet,” they said.
