Paramount Global Content Distribution

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.

Paramount Global Content Distribution
Formerly
List
    • Desilu International (1962–1968)
    • Paramount Television International (1968–1988)
    • CBS Broadcast International (1981–1984, 1986–2007)
    • CBS Productions (1984–1986)
    • Paramount International Television (1988–2004)
    • CBS Paramount International Television (2004–2009)
    • CBS Global Distribution Group (2006–2019)
    • CBS Studios International (2009–2020)
    • ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group (2019–2022)
    • Paramount Global Distribution Group (2022)
TypeDivision
IndustryTelevision distribution
Founded1962 (1962)
Headquarters
Key people
Dan Cohen (President)
Products
OwnerParamount Global
WebsiteOfficial website

The division handles the distribution of television content from the libraries of Paramount Media Networks, Paramount Television Studios, CBS Studios, CBS Media Ventures, Showtime Networks and Paramount+.

History

Desilu International/Paramount Television International/Paramount International Television (1962–2006)

The division as well as Paramount International Television was originally established in 1962 as the international distribution division of Desilu Productions, Desilu International, which was managed by Bruce Gordon.[1] The company co-produced The Lost Islands with the Ten Network (now Network 10) in 1975. Network 10 and this division have been in common ownership since 2019 after the ViacomCBS re-merger. In 1983, it acquired distribution rights to the Australian miniseries, Return to Eden.[2]In 1968, Desilu was sold to Gulf+Western, the then-owners of the film studio Paramount Pictures, eventually adding international television to its well-known film operations. Gulf+Western rebranded the division as Paramount Television International to handle international sales of Desilu/Paramount properties from Paramount Television.

CBS Broadcast International (1981–2007)

In 1981, CBS launched its international division, CBS Broadcast International, to sell news, sports and entertainment programming produced in-house to foreign markets as well as non-broadcast and new technology markets in the U.S. It eventually merged into CBS Worldwide Enterprises and later incorporated into its marketing unit CBS Productions (unrelated to the later company of the same name) with CBS Theatrical Films on 17 December 1984.[3] In the summer of 1985, CBS Productions, CBS News and Columbia House partnered to produce a videocassette The Vietnam War with Walter Cronkite.[4]

Later that year, CBS shut down its theatrical production unit[5] and CBS Broadcast International spun-out from the production unit, restoring the CBS Broadcast International moniker in the process.[6] It planned to provide the CBS Evening News bulletins to UK-based British Satellite Broadcasting in 1988.[7]

CBS Broadcast International produced syndicated episodes of the TV series, The Twilight Zone in 1985. It then signed a partnership agreement with MGM/UA Telecommunications 2 years later to syndicate its episodes from all 2 seasons with 30 new first-run episodes to form a 90-episode syndication package.[8] On 28 October that same year, CBS Broadcast International announced its acquisition of TV and ancillary market rights to four Academy Award/Oscar-winning films produced by Arthur Cohn such as Dangerous Moves, Black and White in Color, The Garden of the Finzi Continis and The Sky Above, The Mud Below. It also announced plans to pick up the bulletins of CBS Evening News with Dan Rather which would place it on a tape-delayed basis on international channel Tele Monte Carlo.[9]

In 1986, CBS Broadcast International has a partnership that they will exploit the rights to the Madison Square Garden properties.[10] In 1987, the company, along with MCA TV International, had inked an agreement with China Central Television (CCTV), to offer a total of 100 drama hours, which combined, represent the largest license to date, and making it the two Hollywood studios the largest suppliers for foreign producers on Chinese TV.[11] In 1990, it was considered as an investor in the Nine Network in Australia.[12]

In 1995, CBS Broadcast International launched a joint venture to be headed by Peter Press.[13] In 1998, James Dowaliby was tapped to be vice president of production and Christopher Ottinger was named vice president of business development at the division.[14] Later that year, Paramount has plans to sign for an international co-production.[15]

CBS Broadcast International launched a global programming alliance with Virgin Media Television in 1997.[16] That following year, Stephanie Pacheco was named the managing director of international sales of the division.[17]

In 2000, the division was touted to develop and co-produce Jeremiah with Lionsgate, but got replaced by MGM.[18]

CBS Paramount International Television (2004–2009)

CBS Broadcast International and Paramount International Television merged on August 11, 2004 to create CBS Paramount International Television and would be headed by Armando Nuarez Jr.[19] The division was transferred to CBS Corporation after CBS spun off from Viacom at the end of 2005, with television rights to the films from its sister company, Paramount Pictures, obtained by Trifecta Entertainment and Media. With the December 4, 2019 merger of CBS and Viacom, the TV rights to Paramount's films were brought back to the now-combined Paramount Global. The company distributes television content from the libraries of CBS Studios, the King World Productions and certain HBO shows internationally the Rysher Entertainment library, the latter owned domestically by 2929 Entertainment.

CBS Studios International (2009–2019)
CBS Studios International logo (2009-2020)

In May 2009, CPITV was renamed CBS Studios International. On 14 September that year, CBS Studios International struck a joint venture deal with Chellomedia to launch six CBS-branded channels in the UK which would replace Zone Romantica, Zone Thriller, Zone Horror and Zone Reality, plus timeshift services Zone Horror +1 and Zone Reality +1.[20][21] The replacement channels launched on 16 November that year.[22] On 5 April 2010, Zone Horror and Zone Horror +1 were rebranded as Horror Channel and Horror Channel +1 respectively.[23]

CBS Studios International licensed rights for the top international formats. In 2010, CBS Studios International went into an equal joint venture with Reliance Broadcast Network Limited to form Big CBS Networks Pvt. Ltd. At the time, the network operated 3 main channels; Big CBS Prime, a general entertainment channel, Big CBS Spark, a youth-oriented channel and Big CBS Love, a women's and urban couple-oriented channel.

In January 2011, CBS Studios International partnered with Australian company, Ten Network Holdings, to launch digital free-to-air channel known as Eleven and would hold a 33% stake in its joint-venture holding company, ElevenCo.[24] Ten Network Holdings entered voluntary administration in June 2017 which ultimately led to CBS acquiring the entirety of the company that November.[25]

On 1 August 2012, Chellomedia revealed that the European versions of Zone Romantica, Zone Reality and Club would be rebranded respectively as CBS Drama, CBS Reality and CBS Action.[26]

ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group/Paramount Global Content Distribution (2019–present)
ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group logo (2020–2022)

Following the December 4, 2019 merger of CBS and Viacom to create ViacomCBS, CBS Studios International and Viacom International Studios merged and rebranded to ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group. On February 16, 2022, ViacomCBS rebranded as Paramount Global, rebranding the division likewise to its current name and restoring the "Paramount" name in television for the first time in 17 years.

Past activities

Viacom International Inc. was established in 1971, just a year after Viacom spun out from the CBS TV network and became Viacom's parent company. The company is responsible for copyrights and trademarks associated with its corporate websites, applications and cable networks, specifically its Media Networks division. The division also licenses the product rights for their various properties and the dissemination of visual and textual television programs on a subscription/fee basis.

Viacom International also served as the licensee name and division for its group of television stations for FCC purposes before the 1999 Westinghouse/CBS merger. Former Viacom station WVIT in New Britain, Connecticut (serving Hartford and New Haven), which it owned from 1978 until 1997, took its call letters from the initials of Viacom International, and retains them to the present day under NBC ownership.

The Viacom International name continued to be used following Viacom and CBS' merger on December 4, 2019, to create ViacomCBS and ViacomCBS' rebrand as the current Paramount Global in 2022.

As CBS Paramount International Television, the division distributed films/movies from the libraries of Paramount Pictures and the Republic Pictures between 2006 and 2009, as well as DreamWorks Pictures from 2006 to 2008.

As CBS Studios International, the division had 50% ownership of former Australian pay-TV channels, TV1 and SF Channel.[27] In 2013, RTL Group and CBS Studios International announced a joint venture called RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network for Southeast Asia with the launch of RTL CBS Entertainment in September that year, but would be acquired 5 years later in January by Blue Ant Media.

The division previously owned all CBS-branded European TV channels in a joint venture with AMC Networks International and an Australian television company, Ten Network Holdings. Both have since been transferred to the primary international networks division of Paramount Global.

See also

References
  1. "Paramount's Bruce Gordon: programming the world" (PDF). Broadcasting. 29 June 1987. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  2. "Making deals" (PDF). Broadcasting. 24 October 1983. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  3. "CBS structures new marketing unit" (PDF). Broadcasting. 17 December 1984. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  4. "Vietnam revisited" (PDF). Broadcasting. 24 June 1985. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  5. Harmetz, Aljean (23 November 1985). "Abc, Cbs Drop Movie Interests". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  6. "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. 24 February 1986. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  7. "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. 25 July 1988. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  8. CBS B'cast, MGM/UA Enter 'Twilight Zone' Worldwide Morrie Gelman, 2 September 1987, Variety, pages 53 & 66
  9. CBS B'cast Intl. Buys Cohn Rights; 'Rather' To TMC, 28 October 1987, Variety, page 68
  10. "International effort" (PDF). Broadcasting. 3 February 1986. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  11. "Par, MCA License 100 Drama Hours To China TV Web". Variety. 11 February 1987. pp. 54, 68.
  12. "Paramount, CBS looking to invest in Australia's Nine Network" (PDF). Broadcasting. 14 May 1990. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  13. "MAVENS ON THE MOVE". Variety. 24 July 1995. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  14. Guider, Elizabeth (29 January 1998). "Par TV Adds Int'l Duo". Variety. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  15. Williams, Michael (7 October 1998). "Par Int'l TV team's ready for primetime showing". Variety. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  16. Guider, Elizabeth (24 September 1997). "Eye on the world". Variety. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  17. "Exec Shuffle". Variety. 17 November 1998. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  18. Grego, Melissa (20 November 2000). "Lions Gate Fords new TV streams". Variety. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  19. Dempsey, John (11 August 2004). "Viacom will unite global TV efforts". Variety. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  20. "CBS FINALChello Zone partnership press release". Chello Zone. Chello Media. 14 September 2009. Archived from the original (DOC) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  21. "CBS to launch UK channels with Chellomedia". Broadcastnow. 14 September 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  22. "CBS channels to launch in UK". Broadcastnow. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  23. "Zone Horror rebrands as Horror Channel". Broadband TV News. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  24. James, Meg (25 August 2010). "CBS goes down under and takes minority stake in Australian TV venture". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  25. "CBS Corporation Completes Acquisition Of Ten Network" (PDF). Ten Network Holdings. 16 November 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  26. Clover, Julian (1 August 2012). "CBS and Chellomedia take entertainment across EMEA". Broadband TV News. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  27. Weingroff, Jennifer (16 September 2009). "Reed Manville To Oversee International Channel For CBS Studios International" (Press release). CBS Studios International. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
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