Paramount Skydance is upgrading its namesake streamer under CEO David Ellison.Eric Thayer/Getty Images; Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty ImagesParamount+ is planning to add a slew of new features, according to a leaked internal presentation.The streaming service is slated to get micro dramas, vertical podcast clips, and more free content.David Ellison's company is boosting its streaming tech ahead of its planned WBD merger.Paramount Skydance isn't waiting around for its planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery to bolster its flagship streaming service.Paramount's streaming leaders have told employees that they're planning major upgrades to Paramount+ in the coming weeks.An internal presentation, which was unveiled during a streaming town hall this week and viewed by Business Insider, shows "Product Priority Highlights" for Paramount's streaming business this quarter, including:Testing micro dramas, which are soapy shows with bite-sized vertical episodes, on the Paramount+ mobile appCreating a "Free Front Porch" that will allow access to movies and shows without a Paramount+ subscriptionAdding vertical video podcast segments, which executives see as a growth opportunityExpanding multiview, which has been a priority, as Business Insider reported in JanuaryContinuing to develop an interactive viewing experience for live events like UFC fights, including stats and highlights in the appPersonalizing artwork for shows and movies in Paramount+Paramount is also cooking up other features like new interactive ad formats, which it thinks will better serve audiences and advertisers.These initiatives are part of Paramount CEO David Ellison's plan to improve the tech of a 114-year-old media company that trails Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney in streaming subscribers. Buying WBD would help Paramount catch up quickly and give it over 200 million streaming customers, the company has said.A supercharged Paramount+ combined with HBO Max would make Ellison's company a far bigger player in the ultra-competitive streaming wars.In the meantime, Paramount isn't sitting on its hands, especially since the Paramount-WBD merger is on pause following an antitrust lawsuit from 12 states.Below are more details on Paramount's top streaming projects:Micro dramasParamount+ is testing micro dramas in hopes of building "mobile daily habits at scale" and "recalibrating consumption behavior" by training viewers to make its phone app a destination during the day, even if they only have a few minutes to spare.Paramount's namesake streamer added a short-form video feed this spring, following in the footsteps of Netflix, Disney+, and Peacock (which has also moved into both original and licensed micro dramas).Free tierParamount is planning to expand free access to shows and movies on its flagship streamer through a feature dubbed the "free front porch."This will let anyone browse the Paramount+ app and sample content before subscribing, though they'll need to first create a free account.There are two overarching strategic goals for the free tier: bring new users to Paramount+, so they form habits and eventually subscribe, and earn more ad revenue from viewers, even if they never pay directly.Adding free content to Paramount+ would make it more like Pluto TV, which is Paramount's fully free streamer. Ellison's company is in the process of putting those streamers on the same tech platform and is creating a unified identity for users to easily log in across the apps.Video podcastsWhile Paramount+ already has video podcasts, it's adding vertical podcast clips to its app as part of its short-form strategy designed to "drive engagement and session depth," according to the presentation.Streaming product EVP Dan Reich told staffers that they're trying to "get more of the video podcasts" and "slice those up into segments for us to surface" in its short-form feed, Business Insider reported in May.Video podcasts can boost "long-form discovery" and "viewing itself," Reich had said.Paramount is focused on adding a podcast category to its app and podcast clips from shows it already has, including those from CBS News and CBS Sports. The presentation said it's "extending the clip infrastructure to make podcast episodes discoverable.""That is a competitive advantage for us against companies like Netflix that don't have that volume of content," Reich said of podcast clips in May.Multiview for sportsParamount+ is strengthening the multiview feature on its TV app by adding customization and personalization elements. Multiview has been popular on services like YouTube TV and has "proven demand" on Paramount+, the presentation said.Users will soon get more control over which sports games they're seeing with a customizable "start card" for the multiview quad box. They'll also be able to choose which game's audio is playing.Interactive viewing experienceParamount is also bolstering its sports viewing experience on its app with interactive elements like stats a
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