Paramount Global
Paramount Global[a] (doing business as Paramount,[5] formerly ViacomCBS) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The company was formed on December 4, 2019, as ViacomCBS Inc. through the merger of the second incarnations of CBS Corporation and Viacom[6] (which were split from the original Viacom on December 31, 2005). The company took its current name on February 16, 2022, the day after its Q4 earnings presentation.[7]
Not to be confused with the film division Paramount Pictures or its former parent company Paramount Communications.Paramount
ViacomCBS Inc. (2019–2022)
- Media
- Entertainment
December 4, 2019
Worldwide
- Films
- Music
- Television programs
- Web portals
US$29.65 billion (2023)
US$−451 million (2023)
US$−608 million (2023)
US$53.54 billion (2023)
US$22.53 billion (2023)
National Amusements (9.7% equity, 79.9% voting power)[1]
21,900 (December 2023)
Paramount's main properties include the namesake Paramount Pictures film and television studio, the CBS Entertainment Group (consisting of the CBS television network, television stations, BET Networks, (who owns the BET and VH1 channels, among others), and other CBS-branded assets), media networks (consisting of U.S.-based cable television networks including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, CMT, Paramount Network, and Showtime) and the company's streaming services (including Paramount+ and Pluto TV). It also has an international division that manages international versions of its pay TV networks, as well as region-specific assets including Argentina's Telefe, Chile's Chilevisión, India's Colors, the United Kingdom's Channel 5, and Australia's Network 10. Between 2011 and 2023, the division also owned a 30% stake in the Rainbow S.p.A. studio.[8]
As of 2019, the company operates over 170 networks and reaches approximately 700 million subscribers in 180 countries.[9]
1912
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
Paramount Global comprises six major units:
Other assets owned by Paramount include Republic Pictures. The company also has a 49% stake in Miramax an undisclosed stake in FuboTV, which it acquired in 2020.[91]