CBS Paramount Studios & Networks

CBSParamount Studios & Networks (formerly known as Warner Cable Communications, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, MTV Networks, Viacom Media Networks and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks) is an American mass media division of Verizon's CBS Paramount, that oversees, film televidiom and the operations of many of its television channels and Internet brands. Its related international division is CBS Paramount International.

Background


In 1977, Warner Cable Communications is founded. In 1979, Warner Communications, alongside card firm American Express, formed a joint-venture company renamed Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment.

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 bega

n by satellite in January 1979 and was renamed The Movie Channel by the end of the year. Pinwheel became Nickelodeon in April 1979. In 1981, Sight on Sound became MTV.

In 1980, Warner-Amex formed a joint venture with Cablevision's Rainbow Media division to launch Bravo, a cable network dedicated to arts and films. It was launched on December 1, 1980. However, it was sold to Rainbow Media in 1984; Bravo is currently owned by NBCUniversal.

John Lack had worked in sales at CBS Radio (in fact, it was he who suggested Schneider to Warner chief Ross) and had an idea of cable programming as a series of special-interest 'channels.' A devotee of popular music, he developed a half-hour show named Pop Clips at Nickelodeon with musician Mike Nesmith as a program for music video film clips. He also planned a series of 24-hour channels to imitate the strategy of The Movie Channel—single-focus programming for music, video gaming, and shopping. Bob Pittman accepted Lack's idea and inaugurated the music channel as MTV: Music Television (née The Music Channel), in the process developing the careers of such future media executives as Mark Booth, Larry Divney, Fred Seibert, Andrew G. Setos, and John Sykes.

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 with this joint venture.

Meanwhile, Warner Communications experienced financial upheaval, including Atari's involvement in the video game crash of 1983, and legal questions about the business dealings of Ross and his senior lieutenants. Jack Schneider also left WASEC, being replaced by senior Warner executive David Horowitz, who oversaw Warner Communications' half of the WASEC joint venture.

American Express sold their stake in Warner-Amex Cable to Warner Communications, which renamed the company Warner Cable.

MTV Networks begins and acquisition by Viacom (1985–2005)
On July 18, 1984, Warner Communications made the decision to divest Nickelodeon, MTV, and VH1 into a public corporation called MTV Networks, Inc..

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.

In November 1985, Viacom bought the remaining 69% of MTV Networks from Warner and American Express for $326 million; this led to Viacom becoming a mass media company rather than simply a distribution company and ending Warner's venture into cable television until it added HBO and Cinemax as part of its merger with Time Inc. in 1990. Time Warner, as Warner Communications was now known at the time, would also purchase the Turner Broadcasting System, consisting of the TBS, TNT, CNN and Cartoon Network cable networks in 1996. Time Warner would retain Time Warner Cable until spinning off that division into a separate company in 2009; that unit would eventually become part of Spectrum, a brand of Charter Communications which was launched in 2014.

In 2000, following Viacom's acquisition of CBS Corporation, The Nashville Network and CMT, the two channels owned by CBS by that time under CBS Cable, became part of MTV Networks, with The Nashville Network becoming The National Network.

In 2001, Viacom purchased Washington-based Black Entertainment Television and integrated it into Viacom.

In 2002, Viacom acquired Sesame Workshop's shares of Noggin (now Nick Jr. Channel), and folded it under Nickelodeon Networks division of MTV Networks.

In 2003, Comedy Central became part of MTV Networks after Viacom acquired the remaining shares of the latter from Time Warner. The joint dates back to 1991, when HA! and Time Warner's The Comedy Channel merged.

In 2005, the company announced plans of looking into splitting into two publicly traded companies under the continuing ownership of National Amusements because of a stagnating stock price. The internal rivalry between Les Moonves and Tom Freston, longtime heads of CBS and MTV Networks respectively, and the controversy of the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, which resulted in MTV being banned from producing any more Super Bowl halftime shows, were also seen as factors. After the departure of Mel Karmazin in 2004, Redstone, who served as chairman and chief executive officer, decided to split the offices of president and chief operating officer between Moonves and Freston. Redstone was set to retire shortly, and a split would be a creative solution to the matter of replacing him. The split was approved by Viacom's board on June 14, 2005.

Viacom splits CBS and spun-off Viacom (2006–2019)
In January 2006, the remnants of Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment (MTV Networks and Showtime Networks) were separated following Viacom's split into two entities: CBS Corporation, which retained 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).

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. 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., BET, and Paramount Pictures. 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. 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.

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.

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.

Viacom re-merged with CBS to become ViacomCBS (2019–present)
In August 2019, Viacom announced that it would re-merge with CBS Corporation, reuniting the two entities under the new name ViacomCBS. The merger closed in early December 2019. 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", 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); Pop TV was transferred to the Entertainment & Youth Group on January 15, 2020. In October 2020, the Entertainment & Youth Group was renamed MTV Entertainment Group.

Former channels and blocks

 * Nick Gas (1999–2009)
 * VH1 Uno (2000–08)
 * NickMom (2012–15)
 * The N [(2002-09), predecessor to TeenNick]
 * TEENick (2001-09)
 * SNICK (1992-2005)
 * Showtime Beyond (1999-2020)
 * Noggin (TV Channel) (1999-2009)
 * Spike [(2003-2018), predecessor to Paramount Network]
 * The National Network [(2000-2003), predecessor to Spike]
 * The Nashville Network [(1983-2000), predecessor to The National Network]

Internet
Through its Domestic Media Networks division, ViacomCBS also owns internet properties, such as MTV News and AwesomenessTV. The company ran a virtual world system, Virtual MTV, in the late 2000s. It formerly owned Neopets, Atom Entertainment, RateMyProfessors.com, and other web properties before shutting them down or selling them to other companies in the 2000s and 2010s.

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. The two subsequently collaborated on the creation of Rock Band. That year, Viacom also acquired the gaming-oriented communications platform Xfire.

In 2010, Harmonix was divested to an investment firm to become an independent studio, and Xfire was sold.

In 2011, Viacom established an in-house studio known as 345 Games, which is dedicated primarily to developing games based on Comedy Central and MTV properties.

CBS Paramount International Entertainment
CBS Paramount International Entertainment is the sibling division of CBS Paramount. Its headquarters are in New York, London, Warsaw, and Buenos Aires, and manages the following brands: MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Channel 5, Network 10, Telefe and Colors.

The division is split into three regional units:


 * CBS Paramount UK & Australia
 * Ten Network Holdings
 * ViacomCBS Networks EMEAA
 * ViacomCBS Networks Northern Europe
 * ViacomCBS Networks Southern Europe, Middle East, and Africa
 * Viacom 18 (49%)
 * ViacomCBS Networks Americas

Former brands include TMF and VIVA which, along with digital properties Nitrome Limited, Shockwave, Addicting Games, Atom Films and Xfire, have either since merged with other networks, were shut down, or were sold off.