CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainment Group division of Paramount Global.
For other uses, see CBS (disambiguation).Type
- George Cheeks (President and CEO, CBS Entertainment Group)
- Amy Reisenbach (President, CBS Entertainment)
- Sean McManus (Chairman, CBS Sports)
- Wendy McMahon (President, CBS News and Stations)
September 18, 1927
- Radio: September 18, 1927
- Television: July 1, 1941
- United Independent Broadcasters, Inc. (1927–1928)
- Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System (1928)
- Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (1928–1974)
- CBS, Inc. (1974–1997)
Famous Players Film Company is founded
Lasky Feature Play Company is founded
Paramount Pictures is founded as a film distributor
Famous Players and Lasky merge as Famous Players–Lasky and acquire Paramount
Westinghouse Broadcasting forms with the launch of KDKA-AM
CBS is founded; Famous Players–Lasky assumes Paramount's name
Paramount buys 49% of CBS
Paramount sells back shares of CBS
Desilu is founded and CBS distributes its television programs
CBS creates the CBS Television Film Sales division
CBS Television Film Sales renamed to CBS Films
Gulf+Western buys Paramount
Gulf+Western acquires Desilu and renames it Paramount Television; CBS Films becomes CBS Enterprises
CBS Enterprises renamed to Viacom
Viacom is spun off from CBS as a separate company
Viacom buys full ownership of Showtime and MTV Networks
National Amusements buys Viacom
Gulf+Western renamed to Paramount Communications
Viacom acquires Paramount Communications
Westinghouse buys CBS
Westinghouse renamed to CBS Corporation
Viacom buys CBS Corporation
Viacom buys BET Networks
Viacom splits into second CBS Corporation and Viacom
CBS Corporation and Viacom re-merge as ViacomCBS
ViacomCBS renamed to Paramount Global
Headquartered at the CBS Building in New York City and being part of the "Big Three" television networks, CBS has major production facilities and operations at the CBS Broadcast Center and the headquarters of owner Paramount at One Astor Plaza (both also in that city) and Television City and the CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles. It is sometimes referred to as the Eye Network, after the company's trademark symbol of an eye (which has been in use since October 20, 1951),[1] and also the Tiffany Network, which alludes to the perceived high quality of its programming during the tenure of William S. Paley (and can also refer to some of CBS's first demonstrations of color television, which were held in the former Tiffany and Company Building in New York City in 1950).[2][3]
Related services[edit]
Video-on-demand services[edit]
CBS provides video-on-demand access for delayed viewing of the network's programming through various means, including via its website at CBS.com; the network's apps for iOS, Android, and newer version Windows devices; a traditional VOD service called CBS on Demand available on most traditional cable and IPTV providers; and through content deals with Amazon Video (which holds exclusive streaming rights to the CBS drama series Extant and Under the Dome) and Netflix.[40][41][42][43] Notably, however, CBS is the only major broadcast network that does not provide recent episodes of its programming on Hulu (sister network The CW does offer its programming on the streaming service, albeit on a one-week delay after becoming available on the network's website on Hulu's free service, with users of its subscription service being granted access to newer episodes of CW series eight hours after their initial broadcast), due to concerns over cannibalizing viewership of some of the network's most prominent programs; however, episode back catalogs of certain past and present CBS series are available on the service through an agreement with CBS Television Distribution.[44][45][46]
Upon the release of the app in March 2013, CBS restricted streaming of the most recent episode of any of the network's programs on its streaming app for Apple iOS devices until eight days after their initial broadcast to encourage live or same-week (via both DVR and cable on demand) viewing; programming selections on the app were limited until the release of its Google Play and Windows 8 apps in October 2013, expanded the selections to include full episodes of all CBS series to which the network does not license the streaming rights to other services.[47]
Controversies[edit]
Brown & Williamson interview[edit]
In 1995, CBS refused to air a 60 Minutes segment that featured an interview with a former president of research and development for Brown & Williamson, the U.S.'s third largest tobacco company. The controversy raised questions about the legal roles in decision-making and whether journalistic standards should be compromised despite legal pressures and threats. The decision nevertheless sent shockwaves throughout the television industry, the journalism community, and the country.[85] This incident was the basis for the 1999 Michael Mann-directed drama film, The Insider.
