Content is king, but the kingdom is messy. If you've been scrolling through Paramount+ lately, you've probably noticed a shift. It isn't just about Yellowstone spin-offs or Star Trek anymore. There is a specific kind of gravity pulling at the "Trending" section. That's the work of See It Now Studios.
Susan Zirinsky. If you know news, you know that name. She’s the legendary former President of CBS News—the woman who basically lived in the broadcast booth for decades. When she stepped down from that role, she didn’t just go play golf. She launched See It Now Studios. It was a calculated move by ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global) to bridge the gap between hard-hitting journalism and the binge-watching habits of the streaming era.
Honestly, it’s a weird hybrid. It isn’t exactly "news" in the 6:30 PM nightly broadcast sense. But it isn't "trashy true crime" either. It sits right in the middle.
The Zirinsky Factor and the Birth of a New Genre
Let’s be real for a second. Most streaming documentaries feel like they’ve been stretched out. You know the ones—a story that could be told in forty minutes gets bloated into a six-part docuseries with twenty minutes of drone shots. See It Now Studios was built specifically to avoid that fluff. Because Zirinsky comes from a world where every second of airtime costs a fortune, the pacing is different. It’s tighter.
The studio operates under the Paramount Content Group. It’s got a clear mandate: produce unscripted content, documentaries, and specials that can live on Paramount+ but also find a home on CBS or even outside networks. It’s a content factory with a pedigree.
You see, the name itself is a callback. See It Now was the title of Edward R. Murrow’s iconic series from the 1950s. That’s a heavy legacy to carry. Murrow was the guy who took on McCarthyism. He was the gold standard. By naming the studio this, Paramount is making a massive claim. They’re saying, "We aren’t just making content; we’re making the content."
What Have They Actually Made?
You might have seen GHISLAINE — Partner in Crime. That was one of their big early swings. It didn’t just rehash the headlines; it tried to map the psychology of the situation using the deep archives of CBS News. That’s their secret weapon. Most production companies have to license footage at insane rates. See It Now Studios literally owns the vault. They have decades of raw interviews, B-roll, and field reporting that nobody else can touch.
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Then there is the FBI True series. This is a perfect example of their strategy. It’s a "fly-on-the-wall" style show where real agents talk about their biggest cases. It’s simple. It’s cheap to produce compared to a scripted drama. But it’s incredibly effective because the stakes are real.
They also handled 11 Minutes, which is a heavy, four-part docuseries about the 2017 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas. This wasn't just another true crime cash-in. It was a visceral, minute-by-minute account that focused on the survivors and the first responders. It’s the kind of storytelling that wins awards because it feels urgent.
Breaking Down the Strategy
- Speed to Market: Because they are integrated with CBS News, they can turn things around fast. When a major event happens, they already have crews on the ground.
- Archive Access: I can't stress this enough. Having the CBS library is like having a cheat code for documentary filmmaking.
- Global Reach: They aren't just thinking about the US market. Their docs are designed to be sold to international broadcasters, which is a huge revenue stream for Paramount.
Why This Matters for the Streaming Wars
Paramount+ is in a dogfight. They are up against the sheer volume of Netflix and the prestige of HBO/Max. They can't outspend everyone on $200 million movies. So, what do they do? They pivot to "Stickiness."
Non-scripted content is the glue of a streaming service. You might subscribe for Mission: Impossible, but you stay because there is a constant stream of new, interesting documentaries to watch on a Tuesday night. See It Now Studios provides that "always-on" value.
It’s also about brand safety. In an era of "fake news" and hyper-partisan media, See It Now Studios leans on the legacy of the CBS News eye. It feels reliable. Even when the subject matter is sensational, the execution feels professional. That’s a nuance that many people miss. There’s a huge difference between a documentary made by a YouTuber and one overseen by a person who spent forty years in a newsroom.
The Challenges of the Hybrid Model
It’s not all sunshine and Emmys. There is a tension here. How do you keep the "prestige" of the Murrow name while also making stuff that people actually want to click on in a crowded app?
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Sometimes, the projects feel a bit like "extended news magazines." If you’ve watched 60 Minutes your whole life, some of this might feel familiar. Maybe too familiar? There is a risk of the content feeling a bit "old school" for a younger demographic that grew up on fast-paced, personality-driven documentaries on YouTube or TikTok.
Also, the competition is fierce. Every major streamer is now chasing the same "prestige doc" dragon. Disney+ has National Geographic. Discovery+ has... well, everything. See It Now Studios has to keep evolving to stay relevant. They’ve started branching out into more "lifestyle" and "personality" led projects, which is a departure from their hard-news roots.
What's Next for the Studio?
Expect more biopics. Expect more "deep dives" into current events that happen in real-time. The goal for See It Now Studios in 2025 and 2026 is to become a household name that stands for "truth with a cinematic edge."
They are increasingly looking at "limited window" releases—putting something on the streaming service for a month before it hits the linear CBS broadcast. This creates a sense of exclusivity. It rewards the subscribers.
Honestly, the future of the studio probably depends on how well they can bridge the gap between "informative" and "entertaining." If it’s too dry, people skip it. If it’s too sensational, they lose the CBS credibility. It’s a tightrope walk.
Real World Actionable Insights
If you’re a creator, a journalist, or just a heavy consumer of media, there are a few things you can learn from how See It Now Studios operates.
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First, leverage your archives. If you have old content, don't let it rot. Figure out how to repackage it for a modern audience. Context is everything. A clip from 1992 isn't just a clip; it’s a data point in a larger story about how the world has changed.
Second, focus on the "Why" and not just the "What." See It Now Studios succeeds when they explain the motivations behind a news story. People already know what happened from Twitter. They come to See It Now to understand why it happened.
Finally, understand the platform. If you're putting content on a streamer, it needs to be "bingeable." This means cliffhangers, emotional beats, and a visual style that looks good on a 4K TV. You can't just put a talking head on screen for an hour and expect people to stay.
How to Find the Best See It Now Content
- Open Paramount+.
- Look for the "Documentaries" or "News" hubs.
- Search specifically for "Susan Zirinsky" or "See It Now" in the search bar.
- Pay attention to the "Originals" tag; that’s where the high-budget stuff usually sits.
See It Now Studios isn't just a production company. It’s an experiment in whether or not the standards of old-school journalism can survive—and thrive—in a world of algorithms and short attention spans. So far, the answer seems to be a resounding yes. They’ve proven that there is still a massive audience for truth, provided you wrap it in a compelling narrative.
Go watch 11 Minutes. It’s probably the best example of what they’re trying to do. It’s tough to watch, but it’s important. And that, fundamentally, is the whole point of the studio. Stay curious. Stay skeptical. But definitely keep watching.