Paramount Global operates as a global media, streaming and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide.
Driven by iconic consumer brands, the company's portfolio includes CBS, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, CMT, Paramount+, and Pluto TV. The company holds one of the industry’s most extensive libraries of television and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, the comp...
Paramount Global operates as a global media, streaming and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide.
Driven by iconic consumer brands, the company's portfolio includes CBS, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, CMT, Paramount+, and Pluto TV. The company holds one of the industry’s most extensive libraries of television and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, the company provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution, and advertising solutions.
The company leveraged its distribution platforms, including Paramount+, its growing subscription streaming service; Pluto TV, a leading free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) service; Paramount Pictures, an iconic Hollywood studio; CBS, the leading broadcast network in the United States (the U.S.); and its portfolio of cable networks that includes Nickelodeon, MTV, and BET, to bring content that appeals to a broad base of viewers around the world.
In 2024, the company continued to make significant progress in building a scaled streaming business, delivering growth in engagement and revenue, and improving Direct-to-Consumer profitability. On Paramount+, a combination of sports, news, and entertainment, including originals like Tulsa King, Lioness, and Landman, drove subscriber growth of 15% year-over-year as of December 31, 2024. Pluto TV continues to be a global leader in FAST and grew 8% in hours watched for the year.
Paramount Pictures debuted five number one films at the domestic box office — Mean Girls, Bob Marley: One Love, IF, Smile 2, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the highest-grossing film in the franchise, and expected to be one of the studio’s 10 most profitable releases of the last decade. The studio slate also drove viewing on the company's linear and streaming platforms and contributed to other revenue streams, such as consumer products.
CBS finished the 2023-2024 season as America’s number one broadcast network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season, including eight of the top 10 broadcast series and the three most-watched new broadcast series with Tracker, Elsbeth, and NCIS: Sydney. This season, the fall 2024 primetime slate on CBS featured seven of the top 10 broadcast series, including Tracker, the most-watched series; Matlock, the number one new series; and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, the number one new comedy. The NFL on CBS delivered three of the top four regular season games, averaging over 19 million viewers. CBS News had four programs at number one in their respective categories, including 60 Minutes, CBS News Sunday Morning, Face the Nation, and 48 Hours, and for the year, grew total minutes watched on the company's streaming platforms by nearly 60%.
The company's portfolio of cable networks attracted audiences through a broad range of shows in 2024, with four of the top five entertainment series among adults 18 to 34. Yellowstone on Paramount Network once again became the number one entertainment series on cable, premiering with 18 million viewers. Internationally, Yellowstone was number one in starts and engagement on Paramount+. Nickelodeon’s tremendous popularity continued with kids and preschoolers, including SpongeBob, the number one series among kids six to 11. The Daily Show on Comedy Central was the number one cable entertainment series in late night and continued to grow across streaming, linear, and social platforms, MTV Video Music Awards had its biggest audience in four years, and The Challenge was the number one competition show on cable, delivering the highest season premiere share in franchise history.
Segment
The company operates through the following segments:
TV Media: The company's TV Media segment consists of its domestic and international broadcast networks and owned television stations; domestic cable networks and international extensions of certain of the company's domestic cable network brands; and domestic and international television studio operations, and production and distribution of first-run syndicated programming.
Direct-to-Consumer: The company's Direct-to-Consumer segment includes its portfolio of domestic and international pay and free streaming services.
Filmed Entertainment: The company's Filmed Entertainment segment consists of the production and acquisition of films, series and short-form content for release and licensing around the world, including in theaters, on streaming services, on television, and through digital home entertainment and DVDs/Blu-rays.
TV Media
The company's TV Media segment consists of its broadcast operations - the CBS Television Network, its domestic broadcast television network; CBS Stations, its owned television stations; and its international free-to-air networks, Network 10, Channel 5, Telefe and Chilevisión; domestic premium and basic cable networks, including Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET and Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, and international extensions of certain of these brands; and domestic and international television studio operations, including CBS Studios and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios, as well as CBS Media Ventures, which produces and distributes first-run syndicated programming. TV Media also includes a number of digital properties, such as CBS News Streaming for 24-hour news and CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis.
TV Media's revenues are generated primarily from advertising; affiliate and subscription revenues principally consisted of fees received from distributors for carriage of the company's cable networks (known as cable affiliate fees) and its owned television stations (known as retransmission fees) and fees received from television stations owned by third parties for their affiliation with the CBS Television Network (known as reverse compensation); and the licensing and distribution of its content and other rights.
Broadcast
CBS Television Network: The CBS Television Network (the 'CBS Network'), through CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports, distributes entertainment, news and public affairs, and sports programming to both owned and affiliated broadcast television stations. CBS Network content is also available on the internet, including through CBS.com, CBSNews.com, CBSSports.com and related apps; the company's streaming services, such as Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and Pluto TV; and multichannel video programming distributors ('MVPDs') and video streaming services. CBS Entertainment acquires or develops and schedules entertainment programming on the CBS Network, which includes primetime comedies and dramas, reality, specials, kids' programs, daytime dramas, game shows and late night. CBS News operates a worldwide news organization providing the CBS Network, CBS News Radio and digital platforms with regularly scheduled news and public affairs programs. CBS Sports broadcasts include certain regular-season and playoff NFL games, including wild card playoff games and American Football Conference divisional playoff and championship games and, on a rotating basis with other networks, the Super Bowl; certain regular-season and tournament college basketball games, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (the 'NCAA') Division I Men's Basketball Tournament; regular-season college football games, including the Big Ten Conference; and the Army-Navy Game; the PGA Tour, the PGA Championship and the Masters; and certain UEFA Champions League games.
CBS Stations: CBS Stations consists of the company’s 29 owned broadcast television stations, all of which operate under licenses granted by the Federal Communications Commission (the FCC) pursuant to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the Communications Act). The company’s stations are located in the five largest, and 15 of the top 20, television markets in the U.S. The company owns multiple stations within the same local market area in 10 major markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The stations broadcast news, public affairs, sports and other programming to serve their local markets. Local versions of CBS News Streaming offer local news from certain of the company’s owned stations.
International Free-to-Air Networks: The company operates a number of free-to-air networks around the world: Network 10 in Australia, whose brands include 10, 10 Bold Drama, 10 Peach Comedy, and 10 Play; Channel 5, a public service broadcaster in the U.K., whose brands include 5, 5 Action, 5 Select, 5Star, 5USA, Milkshake, and My5; Telefe in Argentina, whose brands include Telefe Noticias, Mi Telefe, Telefe Internacional, tlfesports, Mitelefe, and Telefe Channels on Pluto TV; and Chilevisión in Chile, whose brands include Chilevisión Noticias, CHV, and Chilevisión Channels on Pluto TV.
Cable
Paramount Media Networks: Paramount Media Networks connects with global audiences through its iconic brands - CMT, a country music and lifestyle channel; Comedy Central, a comedy brand with a focus on adult animation and late-night programming; Logo, a network dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment programming for LGBTQ+ audiences; MTV, a storied youth entertainment brand home to notable franchises and live events, such as the MTV Video Music Awards; Nickelodeon, an entertainment brand for kids and families; Paramount Network, a premier entertainment destination and home to Yellowstone; Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, the company's premium channel, offering original scripted and unscripted series, movies, documentaries, and docuseries, and comedy; Pop TV, a pop culture-focused channel; The Smithsonian Channel, home of popular genres, such as air and space, travel, history, science, nature, and culture; and TV Land, a destination for viewers in their 30s and 40s.
BET Media Group: BET Media Group provides premium entertainment, music, news, digital, and public affairs content for Black audiences. BET Media Group serves as a destination for Black expression, as well as a gathering place for Black creators, talent, and communities. BET Media Group’s multiplatform extensions include BET Studios, a studio venture that offers equity ownership to Black content creators, and BET’s events and experience business, which includes the BET Awards, and VH1, a multicultural pop culture destination.
CBS Sports Network: The CBS Sports Network is CBS Sports’ 24-hour cable channel that provides a diverse slate of sports and related content. The network televises live professional, amateur, and college events, including Division I college football, basketball, hockey, and lacrosse, and certain domestic and international soccer games. The network also showcases a variety of additional programming, including studio shows, features, and documentaries. CBS Sports Network also provides ancillary coverage for CBS Sports relating to major events, such as the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Masters, and the PGA Championship.
Studios
The company's studios produce content across broadcast, cable, and streaming in the U.S. and internationally. The company's studios include CBS Studios, which produces series and maintains an extensive library of intellectual property, including global franchises, such as NCIS and Star Trek, as well as late-night and daytime programming; and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios, which produces television series and films, and includes MTV Documentary Films.
CBS Media Ventures (CMV) produces and distributes original series programming across various dayparts and genres, including talk shows, court shows, game shows, and newsmagazines, which are licensed on a market-by-market basis to television stations for local broadcast television and streaming. CMV engages in national advertising and integrated marketing sales for the programming it distributes, as well as serving as the national advertising sales agent for other major syndicators.
Direct-to-Consumer
The company's Direct-to-Consumer segment includes its portfolio of domestic and international pay and free streaming services, including Paramount+, Pluto TV, and BET+. Direct-to-Consumer’s revenues are principally comprising advertising and subscription revenues generated by the company's streaming services.
Paramount+: Paramount+, the company's global on-demand and live subscription streaming service, combines live sports, news, and entertainment content. Paramount+ features an expansive catalogue of original series, shows, and popular movies across every genre from the company's brands and production studios, and from third parties. Domestically, Paramount+ is home to livestreamed CBS Sports programming. A destination for soccer fans, Paramount+ also features select live and on-demand matches from a number of domestic and international leagues, including UEFA Champions League, Italy’s Serie A, and the National Women’s Soccer League. Paramount+ enables subscribers to stream local CBS Stations live across the U.S., in addition to CBS News Streaming and CBS Sports HQ. Paramount+ is available in two tiers in the U.S.: Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, the company's premium, advertising-free (except during livestreamed and other limited content) streaming offering for a subscription fee; and Paramount+ Essential, the company's advertising-supported offering available for a lower fee that includes the NFL, but not livestreamed local CBS Stations or SHOWTIME content.
Pluto TV: Pluto TV, the company's global FAST service, features a broad range of curated live linear channels and on-demand content. Categories cover a wide array of genres, including movies, television series, classic television, sports, news and opinion, drama, reality, competition reality, true crime, game shows, comedy, daytime TV, home and food, lifestyle, anime, animals and nature, music, kids, and local news.
BET+: BET+, a joint venture between BET and Tyler Perry Studios, is a subscription streaming service in the U.S. focused on Black audiences, featuring movies, television, stand-up comedy, award shows, and specials. BET+ is home to exclusive original content from leading Black creators. BET+ is available in advertising-free (except during livestreamed and other limited content) and advertising-supported tiers.
Filmed Entertainment
The company's Filmed Entertainment segment consists of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players, Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Studios, Awesomeness, and Miramax. Filmed Entertainment produces and acquires films, series, and short-form content for release and licensing around the world, including in theaters, on streaming services, on television, and through digital home entertainment and DVDs/Blu-rays. Filmed Entertainment’s revenues are generated primarily from the release or distribution of films theatrically and the licensing of film and television content.
Paramount Pictures: A global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment since 1912, Paramount Pictures is an iconic brand with an extensive library of films, which include such classics as Titanic, Forrest Gump, and The Godfather, as well as well-known franchises, such as Mission: Impossible and Transformers.
Paramount Players: Paramount Players focuses on creating genre films from distinct, contemporary voices and properties, as well as drawing from Paramount’s rich library of content.
Paramount Animation: Paramount Animation develops and produces franchise and original animated films, including drawing from the Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon libraries.
Nickelodeon Studios: Nickelodeon Studios produces animated and live-action series, films and short-form content for kids and families across multiple platforms worldwide.
Awesomeness: Awesomeness produces live-action series, films and short-form content for the global Gen Z audience.
Miramax: Miramax, a joint venture with beIN Media Group, is a global film and television studio with an extensive library of content. The company has exclusive, long-term rights to distribute Miramax’s library, as well as certain rights to co-produce, co-finance and/or distribute new film and television projects.
The company produces most of the films it releases theatrically and also acquires films for distribution from third parties. In some cases, the company co-finances and/or co-distributes films with third parties, including other studios.
The company distributes films in various media worldwide or in select territories and may engage third-party distributors for certain films in certain territories. Domestically, the company generally markets and distributes its own theatrical and home entertainment releases. Internationally, the company distributes theatrical releases through its international affiliates or, in territories where it has no operating presence, through United International Pictures, the company's joint venture with Universal Studios, or other third-party distributors. Home entertainment releases on DVD and Blu-ray discs are distributed internationally by local licensees. The company also licenses films and television shows domestically and/or internationally to a variety of platforms.
Regulation
The company's international free-to-air networks are subject to the local rules and regulations of foreign regulators, including the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in Australia; the Office of Communications (Ofcom) in the U.K.; Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones (ENACOM) in Argentina; and the Consejo Nacional de Televisión (CNTV) in Chile.
The company's international free-to-air networks are subject to the local rules and regulations of foreign regulators, including the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in Australia; the Office of Communications (Ofcom) in the U.K.; Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones (ENACOM) in Argentina; and Consejo Nacional de Televisión (CNTV) in Chile.
Each of the company's owned television stations in the U.S. must be licensed by the FCC.
The Communications Act generally restricts foreign individuals or entities from collectively owning more than 25% of the company's voting power or equity.
History
The company was founded in 1914. The company was incorporated in 1986. The company was formerly known as CBS Corporation and changed its name to ViacomCBS Inc. in 2019. Further, the company changed its name to Paramount Global in 2022.
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