CBS Paramount Television

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CBS Paramount Television
Type Subsidiary
Founded Los Angeles, California, USA January 17,2006
Headquarters Los Angeles, California,  United States
Key people Leslie Moonves, President & CEO
Industry Television Production
Revenue ▲
Operating income ▼
Owner National Amusements
CBS Corporation
Parent CBS Corporation
Website www.cbsparamount.com

CBS Paramount Television (formerly Desilu Productions, Paramount Television, among other companies) is an American television production/distribution company that was formed on January 17, 2006 by CBS Corporation merging Paramount Television and CBS Productions. It is the television production arm of the CBS network (CBS Productions previously assumed such functions), and, alongside Warner Bros. Television, it is also the television production arm of The CW Television Network (in which CBS has a 50% ownership stake).

Contents

Background and timeline

Paramount Pictures' early television ventures

  • 1939: Established experimental television stations in Los Angeles (W6XYZ) as Television Productions Inc. and Chicago (W9XBK) with Balaban and Katz.
  • 1943: Began commercial broadcasting over WBKB in Chicago (now WBBM).
  • 1947: Began commercial broadcasting over KTLA in Los Angeles.
  • 1949: The first major studio to establish program syndication as Paramount Television Network (much of which originated from KTLA).
  • 1964: Paramount branched out of broadcasting with the sale of KTLA to Golden West Broadcasters.

Desilu Productions/Paramount Television

CBS

  • 1952: CBS formed CBS Productions.
  • 1953: CBS formed CBS Films as the distributor of off-network and first-run syndicated programming to local TV stations in the United States and abroad.
  • 1971: CBS Films was spun-off as Video & Audio Communications (or Viacom).
  • 1995: November 28, Westinghouse Electric acquires CBS.
  • 1999: Viacom merged with its creator CBS.

Viacom

  • 1974: Viacom Productions, a television company, was formed by Viacom.
  • 1995: Viacom Enterprises was absorbed into Paramount Domestic Television. The name Paramount Network Television (PNT) was also used for the first time ever (Viacom Productions would also become a division of PNT).
  • 2004: Viacom Productions was folded into Paramount Television by ceasing its television operations.

Aaron Spelling

  • 1967: Thomas/Spelling Productions formed by Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas.
  • 1969: Aaron Spelling Productions was established.
  • 1972: Spelling-Goldberg Productions formed by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg.
  • 1988: Aaron Spelling Productions acquires Laurel Entertainment, Inc.
  • 1989: Aaron Spelling Productions is renamed as Spelling Entertainment, Inc.
  • 1992: Spelling Entertainment becomes Spelling Television, Inc.
  • 1994: Blockbuster buys 20% of Spelling, Inc.
  • 1995: Spelling Entertainment Group is formed.
  • 1996: Spelling-Goldberg Productions ceases.
  • 1999: Viacom acquired 80% of Spelling Entertainment Group (Such as Spelling Television) and Rysher Entertainment's TV holdings.

Worldvision Enterprises

  • 1962: ABC formed ABC Films as the domestic syndicator of independent programming supplied for the network. Worldvision Enterprises (WVE) was also established, initially as the network's international distribution branch to other countries.
  • 1973: Worldvision name adapted by ABC's original domestic syndication arm, formed in 1962.
  • 1979: Worldvision acquired by Taft Entertainment Company (TECO)
  • 1990: Worldvision acquired by Spelling from Great American Broadcasting (successor to Taft beginning in 1987).

King World

  • 1964: King World Productions (KWP) founded by Charles King.
  • 2000: In January, CBS acquires King World and forms CBS Enterprises, Inc., after which Eyemark Entertainment folds into King World.
  • 2000: After Viacom's merger with CBS, Paramount TV acquired CBS Enterprises, which included King World at that time.
  • 2006: September 26, As part of the corporate restructuring, King World along with CBS Paramount Domestic Television and CBS Paramount International Television forms the CBS Television Distribution group.

Group W

CBS Paramount Television

  • 2004: August 10, Viacom merged the international television banners of CBS Broadcast International and Paramount International Television to form CBS Paramount International Television.
  • 2004: Viacom merged CBS Productions and Paramount Network Television to form CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group. Their respective logos remain the same.
  • 2006: When the CBS/Viacom split took effect, CBS inherited Paramount's TV program library, with the new Viacom keeping Paramount's films.
  • 2006: On January 17, CBS Corporation CEO Les Moonves announced that Paramount Television would be renamed CBS Paramount Television as of that day, after merging with CBS Productions, with both the CBS 'eyemark' and Paramount's mountain united in the new logo.[1]
  • 2006: CBS Corp. merged its TV distribution arms; King World, CBS Paramount International Television and CBS Paramount Domestic Television to form CBS Television Distribution (CTD).

The company

Today, CBS Paramount Television--the only CBS-owned company that uses Paramount name and logo in the company's name and logo (Paramount Pictures is currently owned by the post-2006 Viacom that was spun-off from CBS, which which was once known as the old Viacom)--has 2 divisions: CBS Paramount Network Television (the production arm) and CBS Television Distribution (the distribution arm).

National Amusements retains majority control of both CBS and the new Viacom. As such, many Paramount films are still distributed by CBS Paramount Television and Paramount Home Entertainment continues to distribute home video sales of CBS shows.

The studio has an output deal with Australia's Channel Ten, which means that Ten usually gets first airing rights to the studio's productions.

Until recently—in the U.S.—King World distributed its product independently from CBS Paramount, while internationally CBS Paramount International Television handled distribution and sales. As of September 27, 2007 the CBS Television Distribution logo appears after shows that had been distributed by King World.

Criticism

The company has been criticized by many for being unwilling to secure music rights for DVD, something that its predecessor, Paramount Home Entertainment (which still distributes the library on DVD), was usually willing to do, and for also plastering over the original period-appropriate Paramount Television logos with modern CBS Paramount logos on all the DVD sets of their shows, whereas PHE was usually willing to preserve them.

Libraries

Among CBS Paramount Television's holdings are libraries from the following:

Around the same time of CBSPT's formation, Viacom completed its acquisition of DreamWorks SKG, so CBS Paramount Television now distributes DreamWorks' library of films (such as Shrek and Gladiator) originally in co-operation with Tribune Entertainment, while being solely responsible for DreamWorks' TV series (such as Spin City, which PDT was already distributing anyway having done so since the show's reruns debuted in syndication in 2000, and Father of the Pride).

Past names

  • Paramount Television Group (1967–2006)
    • Desilu Productions, Inc. (1951–1967)
  • CBS Productions (1952–2006, 2008-Present)

See also

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS_Paramount_Television"

This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.