Paramount+ launched on Thursday, replacing the previous ViacomCBS streaming service, CBS All Access. The streamer will introduce 36 original shows this year and will get some of the Paramount studio's feature films after a 45-day theatrical window.

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• Paramount+ is currently available for $10/month, a $4 monthly increase over CBS All Access; an ad-supported $5/month version will arrive in June.
• The library includes content from a variety of ViacomCBS networks and brands, with a particular focus on CBS, Comedy Central, BET, MTV, and Nickelodeon programming.
• CBS All Access, Showtime, and BET+ combined for 30 million subscribers, many of whom will automatically shift over to the new system.
• For a full list of Paramount+ launch shows, see today's Daily Calendar.

According to the Washington Post, the NFL is circling a new streaming deal with Amazon. The report also indicated the league is close to finalizing TV contracts with CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, and ABC. 

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• The new agreements will likely keep most of the current NFL broadcasting line-up the same, and could span up to 11 or 12 years.
• The Amazon deal will apparently including streaming rights to some Thursday night games which will not air on national TV.
• The NFL is planning a 17-game regular season beginning this year.
• The Post estimates yearly NFL media revenue -- which is split evenly between the teams -- at around $10 billion.

DAILY CALENDAR

THURSDAY, MARCH 4

THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN: In his third feature film, SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) heads to Atlantic City on a rescue mission to save his friend, Gary the Snail. The film -- the first to bring SpongeBob to life with computer animation -- was originally scheduled for theatrical release, but will now debut on Paramount+ in the U.S. [Paramount+]

KAMP KORAL: SPONGEBOB'S UNDER YEARS: Animated prequel series following a 10-year-old SpongeBob as he goes off to sleepaway camp, and meets future best pal Patrick Star for the first time. The classic "SpongeBob" voice cast -- including Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, and Clancy Brown -- all return for the new show. [Paramount+]

60 MINUTES+: The first three editions of the news magazine spin-off -- featuring the correspondent team of Enrique Acevedo, Seth Doane, Wesley Lowery, and Laurie Segall -- will debut today. Each episode will center around a single 20-minute story. [Paramount+]

THE REAL WORLD HOMECOMING: NEW YORK: 6-part reunion special bringing back the cast of the very first season of MTV's "The Real World," and putting them up in the same loft they cohabitated together in 1992. [Paramount+]

FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE: 8-part docuseries that's both a true-crime investigation and a send-up of the genre. The series follows producers and stars Mike Mildon and Jackson Rowe as they investigate the case of Harold Heaven, who disappeared from an isolated Canadian cabin in 1934. [Paramount+]

STEPHEN COLBERT PRESENTS TOONING OUT THE NEWS: The timely animated political satire series kicks off Season 2 with a half-hour special; a full premiere will follow on March 8. The voice cast includes Mitch Lewis, Simone Norman, R.J. Fried, Meg Stalter, and Ziwe Fumudoh. [Paramount+]

MR. MERCEDES: The crime drama series -- based on the Bill Hodges novels by Stephen King -- returns for a third and final season. In the new episodes, Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) investigates the theft of unpublished manuscripts from the home of a celebrated author (Bruce Dern). Justine Lupe and Jharrel Jerome co-star. (The show was formerly an Audience Network original; all 3 seasons are now available on Peacock.)  [Peacock]

PERSONA: THE DARK TRUTH BEHIND PERSONALITY TESTS: Documentary from CNN Films that takes a skeptical view of the Myers–Briggs personality test, and explores how the results can have a real-world impact on people's everyday lives. Based in part on the book "The Personality Brokers" by Merve Emre, who also executive produced. [HBO]

PACIFIC RIM: THE BLACK: Animated action sci-fi series based on the "Pacific Rim" film series, set in a future Australia that's been destroyed by monstrous kaiju. The series centers on two teenage siblings who find an abandoned Jaeger, the massive machines humans use to fight back. [Netflix]

MARIPOSA: Teen romantic drama feature from Indonesia about a determined young woman (Adhisty Zara) trying to win the heart of her shy and aloof classmate (Angga Aldi Yunanda). [Netflix]

THE WALRUS AND THE WHISTLEBLOWER: 2020 documentary about animal trainer Phil Demers, who accused the Canadian theme park MarineLand of animal abuse, and was sued for plotting to steal a walrus from the facility. [Discovery+]

THE DEADLY TYPE WITH CANDICE DELONG: True-crime series featuring former FBI profiler Candice DeLong, looking back on case studies from the past to draw connections, and get a sense for the criminal mindset. [Discovery+]

MY MANE PROBLEM: Reality series starring celebrity hairstylist Dr. Boogie as he helps clients deal with a variety of "hair trauma," including chemical burns, mold, and balding due to extensions and wigs. [ALLBLK]

LUCKY: Brea Grant ("12 Hour Shift") wrote and stars in this feminist slasher film as a self-help author who regularly fights off a mysterious masked assailant no one else seems to notice or take seriously. Natasha Kermani ("Imitation Girl") directs. [Shudder]

Though no viewership numbers were released, Deadline reported that the Billie Eilish documentary profile "The World's a Little Blurry" has been a hit for Apple TV+, particularly with younger audiences. According to an unnamed source within Apple, the film drew 33% of its first-week views from new TV+ users, with nearly half of the audience coming from outside the U.S.

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• It's apparently the #1 film on TV+ internationally, as well as in a number of notable markets.
• The film -- from director R.J. Cutler -- captures Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell, as they work on her debut album, "When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?"
• Apple secured the rights to the film following a bidding war with other streamers and studios.

Dwayne Johnson will produce the family animated adventure "Teddy and the Guardians of the Night" for Netflix through his company, Seven Bucks. The film is based on an illustration by Greek fantasy artist Alex Panagopoulos, in which a stuffed teddy bear protects a sleeping child from a horrifying monster.

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• "Evan Almighty" writers Josh Stolberg and Bobby Florsheim will rework an original script by Luke Passmore ("Archenemy").
• Seven Bucks president of production Hiram Garcia first saw the illustration in 2013 and has been developing the project ever since.

NEW TRAILERS

SOUTH PARQ VACCINATION SPECIAL: The satirical animated comedy returns with another one-off special -- its second since the start of the pandemic -- in which Cartman tries to get his hands on the vaccine, while Butters investigates a wild conspiracy. The special airs on Comedy Central on March 10 and will likely come to Paramount+ soon after. [Comedy Central]

CALLS: Each installment of this 9-episode thriller series from filmmaker Fede Álvarez ("Don't Breathe") revolves around a seemingly-normal 12-minute phone call that takes a dark, surreal, or mysterious turn. The packed cast includes Rosario Dawson, Lily Collins, Karen Gillan, Judy Greer, Nick Jonas, Joey King, Pedro Pascal, Aubrey Plaza, Ben Schwartz, and Jennifer Tilly. It hits Apple TV+ on March 19. [Apple TV+]

THUNDER FORCE: Frequent (and married) collaborators Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone's films include "The Boss" and last year's "Superintelligence." Their latest stars McCarthy and Octavia Spencer as estranged childhood friends who reunite as adults and become a superhero team. Bobby Cannavale, Pom Klementieff, Kevin Dunn, Melissa Leo and Jason Bateman co-star. It arrives on April 9. [Netflix]

Addressing an investor conference on Thursday, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said the studio remains in "experimentation mode" regarding theatrical and streaming film release windows. Kilar acknowledged that the industry's approach to theatrical vs. streaming releases has likely shifted permanently during the pandemic.

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• Kilar also promoted HBO Max's plans to add a cheaper, ad-supported tier later on this year, possibly in Q2.
• As before, Kilar noted that the current strategy of releasing WB films simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max was just designed for 2021, adding that should audiences return en masse to theaters, "we will be there to serve them."
• Kilar also hinted at future projects set in the "Wizarding World" of Harry Potter.

Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, and Regé-Jean Page joined the cast of the Netflix spy thriller "The Gray Man," from writer/directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans star in the film, which is based on a novel by Mark Greaney.

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• The ensemble also features Ana De Armas, Wagner Moura, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, and Julia Butters.
• The Russos are, of course, best known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), including the films "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame."
• "Infinity War" and "Endgame" screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely also did a pass on the "Gray Man" script.
• Gosling stars as an ex-CIA operative and freelance assassin who's being hunted across the globe by a former colleague (Evans).

IMDb TV picked up a spin-off of "Bosch," which will wrap up its run on Amazon Prime Video after its forthcoming seventh season. The still-untitled spinoff series will follow Harry Bosch (returning star Titus Welliver) as he joins forces with attorney Honey "Money" Chandler (Mimi Rogers).

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• The same creative team as the original show -- including creator Eric Overmyer -- are on board the new series.
• "Bosch" is based on a series of novels by author Michael Connelly.
• IMDb TV is owned by Amazon.

QUICK HITS

• More than 500,000 investors have opened accounts with this fintech platform to automate money management with ease.*
• Netflix added a "Fast Laughs" feature to its mobile apps, offering an auto-playing feed of humorous clips from stand-up specials, TV series, and films.
• Apple TV+ ordered a Korean-language series based on the popular webtoon "Dr. Brain," to star "Parasite" vet Lee Sun-Kyun.
• Netflix is developing an animated series based on the classic French comic book "The Adventures of Asterix."
• FuboTV saw a 73% increase in subscribers in 2020 but saw its total net loss for the year expand to $570.5 million.
• Discovery+ picked up the Sundance documentary "Rebel Hearts," about a group of influential activist nuns in 1960s Los Angeles.
• A+E Networks -- the owners of the A&E, History, and Lifetime brands -- will continue to focus on linear TV content, according to executive VP of ad sales Peter Olsen.
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