Paramount Streaming Explained

Paramount Streaming
Type:Division
Former Names:
  • CBS Digital Media (2005–2007)
  • CBS Interactive, Inc. (2007–2021)
  • ViacomCBS Streaming (2021–2022)
Hq Location City:San Francisco, California
Hq Location Country:United States
Key People:Tom Ryan (president and CEO)
Parent:CBS Corporation (2005–2019)
Paramount Global (2019–present)
Footnotes:[1]

Paramount Streaming (formerly CBS Digital Media, CBS Interactive, and ViacomCBS Streaming) is a division of Paramount Global that oversees the company's video streaming technology and direct-to-consumer services; including Pluto TV and Paramount+. It was founded in 2005, Tom Ryan is President and CEO.[2]

History

As CBS Interactive

In 2007, CBS Digital Media rebranded as CBS Interactive.

On May 30, 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for £140 million (US$280 million).[3]

On June 30, 2008, CNET Networks was acquired by CBS and the assets were merged into CBS Interactive, including Metacritic, GameSpot, TV.com, and Movietome.[4]

On March 15, 2012, it was announced that CBS Interactive acquired video game-based website Giant Bomb and comic book-based website Comic Vine from Whiskey Media, who sold off their other remaining websites to BermanBraun. This occasion marked the return of video game journalist Jeff Gerstmann to the CBS Interactive division of video game websites, which includes GameSpot and GameFAQs, and has Gerstmann once again working directly with some of his former peers at GameSpot within the same building at the CBS Interactive headquarters.[5] [6]

On April 17, 2012, it was announced that Major League Gaming and CBS Interactive would be entering a partnership alongside Twitch to be the only exclusive online broadcaster of their Pro Circuit competitions, as well as for advertising representation.[7] [8]

CBS Corp./Viacom re-merger and afterwards

On November 4, 2019, Variety reported that Jim Lanzone would be leaving the company after nine years to become an executive in residence at Benchmark Capital and would be succeeded by Marc DeBevoise.[9]

CBS Interactive's parent CBS Corporation merged with sister company Viacom on December 4, 2019, forming ViacomCBS.

On September 14, 2020, it was announced that Red Ventures would acquire the "CNET Media Group" from ViacomCBS for $500 million, which was finalized on October 30, 2020.[10] [11]

After the divestment of the "CNET Media Group", CBS Interactive was dissolved after an organizational restructuring and renamed ViacomCBS Streaming in order to accelerate ViacomCBS 'direct-to-consumer streaming strategies.[1]

On March 4, 2021, ViacomCBS Streaming renamed CBS All Access to Paramount+, with additional streaming content and rebranding taking place at that time.[12]

In late 2021, Comcast and ViacomCBS announced a partnership to launch a new streaming service in more than 20 European territories. SkyShowtime would replace already existing Paramount+ in the Nordics, Hungary, and Poland while launching a fully new service in Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Kosovo, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

ViacomCBS Streaming was renamed as Paramount Streaming, in-line with the rebranding of parent company ViacomCBS to Paramount Global in February 2022.[13]

Properties

Some of the digital media properties under Paramount Streaming are

Divested/defunct

When the company was known as CBS Interactive, it owned several websites, most of which were sold to Red Ventures in 2020. Its former websites are: BNET, Chowhound, CNET, Comic Vine, Download.com, GameFAQs, GameRankings, GameSpot, Giant Bomb, Metacritic, MetroLyrics, onGamers, Radio.com, TechRepublic, TV.com, TVGuide.com, UrbanBaby and ZDNet.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Spangler. Todd. October 20, 2020. ViacomCBS Streaming Shake-Up: Pluto TV’s Tom Ryan to Head New Global Division, Marc DeBevoise Steps Down. March 18, 2021. Variety. March 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210303023712/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/viacomcbs-streaming-tom-ryan-marc-debevoise-1234810594/. live.
  2. Web site: Spangler . Todd . 2024-04-01 . Paramount Streaming CEO Tom Ryan on Pluto TV Turning 10, What’s Next for Paramount+ and More: Streaming Biz Is ‘Underestimated by the Market’ . 2024-07-11 . Variety . en-US.
  3. News: Music site Last.fm bought by CBS . . May 30, 2007 . April 28, 2010 . May 19, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180519223937/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6701863.stm . live .
  4. Web site: CBS CORPORATION COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF CNET NETWORKS; MERGES OPERATIONS INTO NEW, EXPANDED CBS INTERACTIVE BUSINESS UNIT . CBS Corporation . June 30, 2008 . June 30, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080829001159/http://www.cbscorporation.com/news/prdetails.php?id=3503 . August 29, 2008 .
  5. http://www.gamespot.com/news/giant-bomb-comic-vine-join-cbs-interactive-6366357 Giant Bomb, Comic Vine join CBS Interactive
  6. Web site: BermanBraun Buys Most of Shelby Bonnie's Whiskey Media. Kara Swisher. Kara Swisher. AllThingsD. September 2, 2015. March 15, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120315221022/http://allthingsd.com/20120315/exclusive-bermanbraun-buys-most-of-shelby-bonnies-whiskey-media/. live.
  7. Web site: Major League Gaming Partners with CBS Interactive. Major League Gaming. September 2, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20120419124307/http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/major-league-gaming-partners-with-cbs-interactive. April 19, 2012. dead.
  8. Web site: CBS Takes Esports Big with Twitch.tv and MLG. Alex Wilhelm. April 17, 2012. The Next Web. September 2, 2015. November 24, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201124101812/https://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/04/17/cbs-interactive-partners-with-twitch-tv-and-major-league-gaming-to-form-esports-behemoth/. live.
  9. Web site: Marc DeBevoise Named CEO of CBS Interactive as Jim Lanzone Joins Benchmark Capital. Littleton. Cynthia. 2019-11-04. Variety. en. 2019-11-04. July 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200727194828/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/jim-lanzone-marc-debevoise-cbs-interactive-ceo-1203391660/. live.
  10. Web site: Spangler. Todd. 2020-09-14. ViacomCBS Reaches Deal to Sell CNET for $500 Million to Marketing Firm Red Ventures. 2020-09-14. Variety. en. July 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210719184302/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/cnet-viacomcbs-sells-red-ventures-1234768810/. live.
  11. Web site: Red Ventures Announces Closing of Acquisition of CNET Media Group. 2020-10-30. 2020-11-06. PR Newswire. en. June 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210608220527/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/red-ventures-announces-closing-of-acquisition-of-cnet-media-group-301163922.html. live.
  12. Web site: Casey. Henry T.. March 5, 2021. Paramount Plus price, apps, free trial, shows, movies and what you need to know. 2021-03-14. Tom's Guide. en. June 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624172359/https://www.tomsguide.com/news/paramount-plus-price-apps-free-trial-shows-movies-and-what-you-need-to-know. live.
  13. News: VIACOMCBS UNVEILS NEW COMPANY NAME, GLOBAL CONTENT SLATE AND INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION PLANS FOR PARAMOUNT+ AT INVESTOR EVENT . . February 15, 2022 . February 16, 2022 . February 16, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220216141934/https://www.paramount.com/press/viacomcbs-unveils-new-company-name-global-content-slate-and-international-expansion-plans-for-paramount-at-investor-event . live .
  14. Web site: Red Ventures acquires CNET Media Group from ViacomCBS for $500M. Ingrid . Lunden. TechCrunch. September 14, 2020. March 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210228062626/https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/14/red-ventures-acquires-cnet-media-group-from-viacomcbs-for-500m/. February 28, 2021. live.

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