Paramount Media Networks

Last updated

Paramount Media Networks
Formerly
  • MTV Networks (1984–2011)
  • Viacom Media Networks (2011–2019)
  • ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks (2019–2022)
Company type Division
Industry
PredecessorWarner-Amex Satellite Entertainment
FoundedDecember 1, 1977;47 years ago (1977-12-01)(as Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment)
June 25, 1984;40 years ago (1984-06-25)(as public company)
Founder Robert Pittman
Headquarters 1515 Broadway, ,
U.S.
Brands
Parent
Divisions
The original prototype logo for MTV Networks. MTV Networks 1984.png
The original prototype logo for MTV Networks.
The logo for MTV Networks. MTV Networks logo.svg
The logo for MTV Networks.
The logo for Viacom Media Networks. Viacom media networks.svg
The logo for Viacom Media Networks.
The first logo for ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks. ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks logo 2019.png
The first logo for ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks.
The second logo for ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks. ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks logo.svg
The second logo for ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks.

Paramount Media Networks is the division of Paramount Global that oversees the operations of its television channels and online brands. The division was originally founded as MTV Networks in 1984, named after the MTV cable network. [1] It would be known under this name until 2011; when it would be thereafter known as Viacom Media Networks until 2019; and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks until 2022.

Contents

The division's television assets are managed through three units: the MTV Entertainment Group, Showtime Networks, and the Nickelodeon Group, while also holding AwesomenessTV. Paramount's international assets are overseen by Paramount International Networks.

History

Pre-launch: Warner Communications joint venture (1977–1984)

Warner Cable Communications was founded on December 1, 1977, by Warner Cable, itself a division of Warner Communications, to launch QUBE, an interactive cable television network. Seeing the potential in the creation of new cable networks, Warner Cable divested QUBE's biggest brands, Star Channel, Pinwheel and Sight on Sound, into nationwide outlets. Star Channel began by satellite in January 1979 and was renamed The Movie Channel by the end of the year. The original Channel C-3, by then known as Pinwheel, became Nickelodeon in April 1979. As a result of these actions, Warner Cable Communications would then be rebranded as Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, becoming a joint venture between Warner Cable and American Express.

In 1980, Warner-Amex formed a joint venture with the now-defunct Cablevision's Rainbow Media (now AMC Networks) division to launch Bravo, a cable network dedicated to arts and films, on December 1, 1980. Full control of the channel, however, was sold to Rainbow Media in 1984; NBC would acquire Bravo in 2003, and the channel is now currently owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal. [2]

On August 1, 1981, MTV debuted. In 1983, concerned by the strategic and financial failure of its pay-TV venture The Movie Channel (started to reap the benefits Time Inc. was having with HBO and Cinemax), WASEC established a joint venture with Viacom, merging TMC with their premium movie network Showtime to form Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc.; WASEC, however, had no operational involvement in the joint venture.

Launch as MTV Networks, Viacom gets full ownership (1984–2011)

On June 25, 1984, Warner Communications made the decision to divest Nickelodeon, MTV, and VH-1 (launched in 1985 over the channel space of Turner's Cable Music Channel) into a new public corporation called MTV Networks. [1] [3] A year later, Warner would acquire the 50% stake from American Express. [4]

On August 27, 1985, Warner sold 31% of MTV Networks to Viacom, with Warner also selling 19% of its Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc. joint to Viacom as well. [5] [6]

In November 1985, Viacom announced that it had plans to buy the remaining 69% of MTV Networks from Warner for $326 million, [7] and the acquisition was completed on May 20, 1986. [8]

In 1988, the company partnered with fellow Viacom subsidiary Viacom Enterprises to handle advertising sales of Superboy , a syndicated television series. [9] The division was later evolved into One World Entertainment in the early 1990s, who partnered to launch a VH1 syndicated series. [10]

In 2003, MTV Networks assumed full ownership of Comedy Central from AOL Time Warner.

On December 31, 2005, the remnants of MTV Networks and Showtime Networks were separated following Viacom's split into two entities: CBS Corporation, which retained CBS, UPN, Simon & Schuster and Showtime Networks (Showtime, The Movie Channel, and Flix), and a spun-off company under the Viacom name, which took ownership of Paramount Pictures, BET Networks and MTV Networks (Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and VH1).

Expansion (2011–2019)

MTV Networks was renamed Viacom Media Networks in 2011. In the fall of 2012, media analysts began to report that ratings among some of Viacom's leading brands in the U.S. were experiencing declines in viewership. [11] [12] MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon were of most concern to investors as the three account for roughly 50% of Viacom's operating profit, estimated David Bank of RBC Capital Markets.

In 2017, Viacom announced a five-point restructuring plan, in which the company would pour most of its resources behind six "flagship brands". These were MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. Channel, BET, and Paramount Pictures. [13] [14] [15] [16] In February 2017, cable channels CMT and TV Land were moved from the Kids and Family Group to the Global Entertainment Group under Kevin Kay, joining up with Spike TV. [17] During the same month, it was announced that Spike would be relaunched as Paramount Network in 2018, aligning with the namesake film studio and being positioned as Viacom's main general entertainment outlet. [18] [19] BET Networks launced BET+ in September of 2017.

In October 2018, Kevin Kay was announced to be leaving his position as head of the Entertainment Group. CMT was transferred from the Entertainment Group to the Music Group under president Chris McCarthy, with his exit. Executive Kent Alterman would take charge of Paramount Network and TV Land to go with his current leadership of Comedy Central and Bellator MMA. [20]

In 2019, after acquiring the free streaming service Pluto TV, Viacom would launch several channels on the service branded after its Media Networks and company–owned IP. [21] [22] [23] [24]

Reintroduction and re-merger with CBS (2019–2024)

In August 2019, Viacom announced that it would merge with CBS Corporation, reuniting the two entities under the ViacomCBS name. [25] [26] The merger closed on December 4, 2019. [27] [28] Announced on November 11, 2019, as part of the re–merger, the Media Networks division was renamed ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, and reorganized.

MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo were reorganized into the "Entertainment & Youth Group", [29] with the addition of Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel, and TV Land. BET Networks was merged with Showtime Networks under CEO David Nevins, who also temporarily gained oversight of Pop TV (formerly co-owned with Lionsgate); [30] Pop TV was transferred to the Entertainment & Youth Group on January 15, 2020. [31] VH1 was later moved under the BET Media Group, which itself moved under the CBS Entertainment Group after the merger that formed ViacomCBS.

On February 16, 2022, ViacomCBS was renamed as Paramount Global, and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks was renamed Paramount Media Networks. [32] In 2022, MTV Entertainment Group partnered with Second Chance Studios to help formerly incarcerated individuals launch media careers. [33] On May 9, 2023, Paramount restructured its U.S. domestic network business. [34]

Near the end of 2023, Paramount announced that the mobile apps for Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, and Showtime would cease operations at on January 31, 2024. The reason was to encourage users to sign up for Paramount+. The Nickelodeon Group shut down Noggin on July 2 of that same year for the same reason.

Paramount/Skydance merger (2024–present)

On April 29, 2024, President and CEO Bob Bakish was replaced by led by Brian Robbins, George Cheeks, and Chris McCarthy. [35] This action was the result of Bakish's reported opposition of the Skydance deal. [36] McCarthy was legally designated the company's "interim principal executive officer" in order to comply with SEC regulations stipulating that one person must conduct "the normal course of business". [37]

By July 2, 2024, Skydance renegotiated the deal and reached a preliminary agreement to acquire National Amusements and merge with Paramount. [38] The deal was referred by National Amusements to Paramount's special committee. [39] Also, Paramount reportedly entered talks for a sale of the BET Media Group to buyers led by BET CEO Scott Mills for $1.6-$1.7 billion. [40]

Channels list

Current channels

CategoryNameNotesLaunch
MTV Entertainment Group
MTV Branded Television MTV 1August 1, 1981
MTV2 August 1, 1996
MTV Classic 19August 1, 1998
MTV Live 20January 16, 2006
MTV Tres August 1, 1998
MTVU 22January 20, 2004
General Entertainment Content CMT 5March 5, 1983
Comedy Central 2June 1, 1991
Logo TV 4June 30, 2005
Paramount Network 3, 5March 7, 1983
Pop 151981
Smithsonian Channel 13September 26, 2007
TV Land 14April 29, 1996
Showtime Networks
Premium Networks Group Showtime July 1, 1976
The Movie Channel April 1, 1973
Flix August 1, 1992
Nickelodeon Group
Kids and Family Entertainment Nickelodeon 7April 1, 1979
Nick at Nite July 1, 1985
Nick Jr. January 4, 1988
Nick Jr. Channel 8September 28, 2009
TeenNick 11
NickMusic 9May 1, 2002
Nicktoons 10

Secondary channels owned by Showtime Networks

Flix does not have secondary channels.

CategoryNameLaunch date
Showtime ShowtimeJuly 1, 1976
Showtime 2October 1, 1991
Showtime Showcase1996
SHO×BETSeptember 1999
Showtime ExtremeMarch 10, 1998
Showtime Family ZoneMarch 2001
Showtime NextMarch 2001
Showtime WomenMarch 2001
The Movie Channel The Movie ChannelApril 1, 1973
The Movie Channel XtraOctober 1, 1997
Flix FlixAugust 1, 1992

Former channels and blocks

Notes

1Channel was originally launched under Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment and tested as Sight on Sound until 1981, when it officially launched as MTV.

2Channel started as Ha!, merged with Time Warner's The Comedy Channel the following year, became entirely owned by Viacom in 2003.

3Originally TNN from 1983 to 2003 (as The Nashville Network until 1997; as The National Network until 2003) and as Spike until January 2018.

4Channel was originally known as VH1 MegaHits before being discontinued in July 2005 to facilitate Logo launch.

5Channel was previously owned by Gaylord Entertainment Company, acquired in 1997 by the CBS Cable division of CBS Corporation, and became part of MTV Networks when CBS merged with Viacom.

6Channel created as VH1 Country before Viacom/CBS merger.

7Channel was originally launched under Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment and tested as Pinwheel until 1979, then was officially launched as Nickelodeon.

8Channel space was previously held by Noggin (a joint venture with Sesame Workshop) before being replaced with the Nick Jr. Channel in 2009.

9Channel was originally known as MTV Hits before being rebranded as NickMusic on September 9, 2016.

10Channel was originally known as Nicktoons TV until 2003 when it was rebranded as Nicktoons which was rebranded again as Nicktoons Network in 2005 and finally rebranded yet again as Nicktoons (styled as "nicktoons") once more in 2009.

11Channel space was previously held by Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids from 1999 to 2007, and a 24-hour version of Noggin's The N brand from 2007 to 2009.

12Channel originally owned by the first incarnation of Viacom, and earlier with former partner Warner-Amex, and later became part of CBS Corporation following Viacom's split in 2006. Showtime was established in 1976, and The Movie Channel was established in 1973 as Star Channel and relaunched under its current name in 1979.

13Channel was originally co-owned by CBS Corporation through Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution until November 7, 2019, when the Institution sold its equity interest to Showtime. [41]

14Channel was originally a block on Nick at Nite.

15Previously owned by CBS Corporation, and before 2019, half of the share was owned by Lionsgate. Formerly known as TVGN, TV Guide Network, and TV Guide Channel.

16Established by Viacom's Showtime Networks in 1992 and later became part of CBS Corporation following Viacom's split in 2006.

17Channel was formerly Showtime Beyond from 1999 and was discontinued on July 15, 2020.

19Channel was originally known as VH1 Smooth before being relaunched as VH1 Classic Rock on August 1, 1999. The channel was renamed VH1 Classic in 2000 and was later rebranded as MTV Classic on August 1, 2016.

20Channel was originally known as Music: High Definition (MHD) before being rebranded as Palladia on September 1, 2008. On February 1, 2016, the channel was rebranded as MTV Live.

21Channel was originally a division of Warner Communications and the original owner of MTV, and launched on January 1, 1985, in the former space of Turner's short-lived Cable Music Channel.

22Channel slot was originally VH1 Uno, until MTV Networks on Campus replaced VH1 Uno with a televised simulcast of MTVU. The college campus feed of MTVU no longer exists but the public feed is still on a limited amount of MSOs.

Units

MTV Entertainment Group

MTV Entertainment Group
Company type Division
Headquarters,
U.S.
Key people
Chris McCarthy (president and CEO)
Brands
Parent Paramount Media Networks
Subsidiaries
Website mtv.com

MTV Entertainment Group serves as the holdings company for Paramount's mature-oriented, general entertainment brands; such as its namesake flagship MTV, Comedy Central, and Paramount Network. [42] It oversees the MTV Entertainment Studios, which itself owns MTV Animation.

Showtime Networks

Showtime Networks oversees the company's premium networks, which include its flagship service, The Movie Channel, and Flix.

Nickelodeon Group

The Nickelodeon Group (also known as "Nickelodeon Networks Inc."; and as its family distribution name "Paramount Kids and Family Group") is an American entertainment company that oversees Paramount's children's entertainment assets, including its namesake cable network and Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

Other assets

Through its Networks division, Paramount also owns internet properties, such as MTV News and AwesomenessTV.

Former assets

Paramount ran a virtual world system, Virtual MTV, in the late 2000s. [46]

The company has owned various other internet properties including virtual pets website Neopets; Flash game websites AddictingGames.com and Shockwave.com; online content production company Atom Entertainment; along with RateMyProfessors.com, GameTrailers, and iFilm, all of which have been shut down or sold off during 2000s and 2010s.

New York headquarters Manhattan New York City 2008 PD 44.JPG
New York headquarters

During the first quarter of 2008, iFilm was merged into Spike with its website re–branded and re–purposed as Spike.com. [47]

In 2014, Viacom purchased a stake in multi-channel network Defy Media, while offloading GameTrailers, Addicting Games, and Shockwave to Defy. [48]

Harmonix and gaming

In 2006, Viacom acquired Harmonix, a video game studio oriented towards music video games and the original developer of the Guitar Hero franchise, for $175 million. [49] The two subsequently collaborated on the creation of Rock Band . [50] That year, Viacom also acquired the gaming–oriented communications platform Xfire. [51]

In 2010, Harmonix was divested to an investment firm to become an independent studio, [52] [53] and Xfire was sold. [54]

In 2011, Viacom established a short–lived, in–house development studio known as 345 Games, which was dedicated primarily to developing games based on Comedy Central, MTV and Spike properties. [55]

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