Paramount Global (doing business as Paramount) 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 (which were split from the original Viacom on December 31, 2005). The company changed its name to Paramount Global on February 16, 2022, the day after its Q4 earnings presentation.
Paramount's main properties include the namesake Paramount Pictures film and television studio, the CBS Entertainment Group (consisting of the CBS and CW television networks, 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+, Showtime OTT 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. The division also owned a 30% stake in the Rainbow S.p.A. studio until 2023.
the company operates over 170 networks and reaches approximately 700 million subscribers in 180 countries.
Paramount CommunicationsViacom (1952–2006)Viacom (2005–2019)CBS CorporationWestinghouse Electric Corporation and Gulf and Western Industries
Paramount Pictures, CBS, and Viacom each had a history of being associated with one another through a series of various corporate mergers and splits. Paramount Pictures was formed in 1912 as the Famous Players Film Company. CBS was formed in 1927, which Paramount Pictures held a 49 percent ownership stake in from 1929 to 1932.