Paramount Streaming

Last updated

Paramount Streaming
Formerly
  • CBS Digital Media (2005–2007)
  • CBS Interactive, Inc. (2007–2021)
  • ViacomCBS Streaming (2021–2022)
Company type Division
Industry
Founded2005;19 years ago (2005)
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
,
United States
Key people
 Tom Ryan (president and CEO)
Brands
Parent
Website paramount.com/streaming
Footnotes /references
[1]

Paramount Streaming (formerly CBS Digital Media, CBS Interactive, and ViacomCBS Streaming) is a division of Paramount Global that oversees the company's video streaming technology and direct-to-consumer services; including Pluto TV and Paramount+. It was founded in 2005, Tom Ryan is President and CEO. [2]

Contents

History

As CBS Digital Media

Founded in 2005 as CBS Digital Media.

As CBS Interactive

In 2007, CBS Digital Media rebranded as CBS Interactive.

On May 30, 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for £140 million (US$280 million). [3]

On June 30, 2008, CNET Networks was acquired by CBS and the assets were merged into CBS Interactive, including Metacritic, GameSpot, TV.com, and Movietome. [4]

On March 15, 2012, it was announced that CBS Interactive acquired video game-based website Giant Bomb and comic book-based website Comic Vine from Whiskey Media, who sold off their other remaining websites to BermanBraun. This occasion marked the return of video game journalist Jeff Gerstmann to the CBS Interactive division of video game websites, which includes GameSpot and GameFAQs, and has Gerstmann once again working directly with some of his former peers at GameSpot within the same building at the CBS Interactive headquarters. [5] [6]

On April 17, 2012, it was announced that Major League Gaming and CBS Interactive would be entering a partnership alongside Twitch to be the only exclusive online broadcaster of their Pro Circuit competitions, as well as for advertising representation. [7] [8]

CBS Interactive logo (2016-2021) CBS Interactive Logo.svg
CBS Interactive logo (2016–2021)

CBS Corp./Viacom re-merger and afterwards

On November 4, 2019, Variety reported that Jim Lanzone would be leaving the company after nine years to become an executive in residence at Benchmark Capital and would be succeeded by Marc DeBevoise. [9]

CBS Interactive's parent CBS Corporation merged with sister company Viacom on December 4, 2019, forming ViacomCBS.

On September 14, 2020, it was announced that Red Ventures would acquire the "CNET Media Group" from ViacomCBS for $500 million, which was finalized on October 30, 2020. [10] [11] [12]

After the divestment of the "CNET Media Group", CBS Interactive was dissolved after an organizational restructuring and renamed ViacomCBS Streaming in order to accelerate ViacomCBS 'direct-to-consumer streaming strategies. [1]

ViacomCBS Streaming logo (2021-2022) ViacomCBS Streaming.svg
ViacomCBS Streaming logo (2021–2022)

On March 4, 2021, ViacomCBS Streaming renamed CBS All Access to Paramount+, with additional streaming content and rebranding taking place at that time. [13]

In late 2021, Comcast and ViacomCBS announced a partnership to launch a new streaming service in more than 20 European territories. SkyShowtime would replace already existing Paramount+ in the Nordics, Hungary, and Poland while launching a fully new service in Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Kosovo, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

ViacomCBS Streaming was renamed as Paramount Streaming, in-line with the rebranding of parent company ViacomCBS to Paramount Global in February 2022. [14]

Properties

Some of the digital media properties under Paramount Streaming are:

Divested/defunct

When the company was known as CBS Interactive, it owned several websites, most of which were sold to Red Ventures in 2020. Its former websites are: BNET, Chowhound, CNET, Comic Vine, Download.com, GameFAQs, GameRankings, GameSpot, Giant Bomb, Metacritic, MetroLyrics, onGamers, Radio.com, TechRepublic, TV.com, TVGuide.com, UrbanBaby and ZDNet. [10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known as ViacomCBS from 2019 to 2022

Related Research Articles

Paramount Media Networks is an American mass media 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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBS Studios</span> American television production company

CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount (Network) Television, as a renaming of the original incarnation of the Paramount Television studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBS Corporation</span> American mass media company (2005–2019)

The second incarnation of CBS Corporation was an American multinational media company with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing, and television production. It was formed on December 31, 2005, as the legal successor of the original Viacom, following the spin-off of the second incarnation of Viacom; both CBS Corporation and the second Viacom were controlled by National Amusements, a theater company owned by billionaire Sumner Redstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Global Content Distribution</span> Global TV distribution arm of Paramount Global

Paramount Global Content Distribution is the international television distribution arm of American media conglomerate, Paramount Global, originally established in 1962 as the international distribution division of Desilu Productions. With the sale of Desilu to Gulf+Western, then-owners of film studio Paramount Pictures, in 1968, the division evolved into Paramount's first foray into the international television industry in the 1970s.

CBS Media Ventures, Inc. is the television broadcast syndication arm of CBS Studios, a division of the CBS Entertainment Group, in turn a division of Paramount Global, founded on January 17, 2006 by CBS Corporation from a merger of CBS Paramount Domestic Television and KingWorld.

Xumo, LLC is an American internet television and consumer electronics company. It is a joint venture of Charter Communications and Comcast that operates the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and advertising video on demand (AVOD) service Xumo Play, and develops digital media players and smart TVs. The Xumo Play platform's service operations are based in the Orange County suburb of Irvine, California. As of October 2020, Xumo Play has 24 million monthly active users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Ventures</span> American media company

Red Ventures is an American media company that owns and operates brands such as Lonely Planet, The Points Guy, Healthline, and Bankrate. Red Ventures focuses on news, advice, and review websites. The company's corporate headquarters is located in Indian Land, South Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM+</span> American pay television network

MGM+, is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which is itself a subsidiary of Amazon MGM Studios. The network's programming consists of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, original television series, documentaries, and music and comedy specials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BET Media Group</span> American cable television division of Paramount Global

Black Entertainment Television LLC is a subsidiary of American media conglomerate Paramount Global under its CBS Entertainment unit. BET oversees television channels and premium services aimed at African Americans, including its namesake cable channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viacom (1952–2005)</span> American media conglomerate (1952–2005)

The original phase of Viacom Inc. was an American mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in New York City. It began as CBS Television Film Sales, the broadcast syndication division of the CBS television network in 1952; it was renamed CBS Films in 1958, renamed CBS Enterprises in 1968, renamed Viacom in 1970, and spun off into its own company in 1971. Viacom was a distributor of CBS television series throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and also distributed syndicated television programs. The company went under Sumner Redstone's control in 1987 through his cinema chain company National Amusements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Lanzone</span> American businessman (born 1971)

James Lanzone is an American businessman and the CEO of Yahoo Inc. Previously, he was CEO of Tinder. He is also the former president and CEO of CBS Interactive, a top 10 Internet property that operated key websites including CBS All Access, CNET, GameSpot, CBS News, Metacritic, CBS Sports, 247 Sports, Scout Media, MaxPreps.com, TVGuide.com, Last.fm and many others. He took over as president from Neil Ashe in March 2011. Lanzone later became the first chief digital officer of CBS Corporation. Prior to joining CBS Interactive, Lanzone was the founder and CEO of Clicker.com, a search engine and discovery guide for Internet video and television funded by Bill Gurley of Benchmark Capital, Geoff Yang of Redpoint Ventures, Allen & Company, Qualcomm Ventures, Slingbox founder Blake Krikorian and several others. Clicker launched in beta at TechCrunch50 on September 14, 2009 and was acquired by CBS Corporation on March 4, 2011.

Awesomeness, formerly and best known as AwesomenessTV, is an American digital media and entertainment network company owned by Viacom Digital Studios, a division of Paramount Global. Established in July 2012 by Brian Robbins and Joe Davola, the company operated a network initially focused on children’s programs, teen dramas, comedies, live events and music videos targeting adolescents and young adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount+</span> American video streaming service

Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures, CBS Studios, Paramount Media Networks, and Paramount Pictures, while also including original series and films, live streaming sports coverage, and in the United States, live streaming of local CBS broadcast stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pluto TV</span> Internet-based TV platform

Pluto TV is a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Global</span> American mass media corporation

Paramount Global is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan. The company was formed on December 4, 2019, as ViacomCBS through the merger of the second incarnations of CBS Corporation and Viacom. The company took its current name on February 16, 2022.

2019 merger of CBS and Viacom 2019 merger transaction

The 2019 merger of CBS Corporation and Viacom was announced on August 13, 2019, and was completed on December 4, 2019. The merger of equals reunited CBS Corporation and Viacom into a single company known as ViacomCBS after their separation from the first incarnation of Viacom on December 31, 2005. Both companies were owned by the theater company National Amusements, which remains the owner of the merged entity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Showtime (TV network)</span> American pay television network

Showtime, also known as Paramount+ with Showtime, is an American premium television network and the flagship property of Showtime Networks, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Paramount+ with Showtime's programming includes original television series produced exclusively for the linear network and developed for the co-owned Paramount+ streaming service, theatrically released and independent motion pictures, documentaries, and occasional stand-up comedy specials, made-for-TV movies, and softcore adult programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Ryan (business executive)</span> American business executive

Tom Ryan is the co-founder of Pluto TV and CEO and President of Streaming at Paramount Global. He oversees the company's global direct-to-consumer division, which includes paid and free streaming through businesses such as Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

References

  1. 1 2 Spangler, Todd (October 20, 2020). "ViacomCBS Streaming Shake-Up: Pluto TV's Tom Ryan to Head New Global Division, Marc DeBevoise Steps Down". Variety. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  2. ↑ Spangler, Todd (April 1, 2024). "Paramount Streaming CEO Tom Ryan on Pluto TV Turning 10, What's Next for Paramount+ and More: Streaming Biz Is 'Underestimated by the Market'". Variety. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Music site Last.fm bought by CBS". BBC News . May 30, 2007. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  4. ↑ "CBS CORPORATION COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF CNET NETWORKS; MERGES OPERATIONS INTO NEW, EXPANDED CBS INTERACTIVE BUSINESS UNIT". CBS Corporation. June 30, 2008. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved June 30, 2008.
  5. ↑ Giant Bomb, Comic Vine join CBS Interactive Archived March 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine GameSpot.com
  6. ↑ Kara Swisher. "BermanBraun Buys Most of Shelby Bonnie's Whiskey Media". AllThingsD . Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Major League Gaming Partners with CBS Interactive". Major League Gaming. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ Alex Wilhelm (April 17, 2012). "CBS Takes Esports Big with Twitch.tv and MLG". The Next Web. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  9. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (November 4, 2019). "Marc DeBevoise Named CEO of CBS Interactive as Jim Lanzone Joins Benchmark Capital". Variety. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  10. 1 2 Lunden, Ingrid (September 14, 2020). "Red Ventures acquires CNET Media Group from ViacomCBS for $500M". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  11. ↑ Spangler, Todd (September 14, 2020). "ViacomCBS Reaches Deal to Sell CNET for $500 Million to Marketing Firm Red Ventures". Variety. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Red Ventures Announces Closing of Acquisition of CNET Media Group". PR Newswire. October 30, 2020. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  13. ↑ Casey, Henry T. (March 5, 2021). "Paramount Plus price, apps, free trial, shows, movies and what you need to know". Tom's Guide. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  14. ↑ "VIACOMCBS UNVEILS NEW COMPANY NAME, GLOBAL CONTENT SLATE AND INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION PLANS FOR PARAMOUNT+ AT INVESTOR EVENT". Paramount Global . February 15, 2022. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.