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Robert Marc Bakish ( ; born December 14, 1963) is an American business executive. He has been President and CEO of
Paramount Global Paramount Global (doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. ...
since December 4, 2019, formerly holding the same position at Viacom before the
merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
with
CBS Corporation The second incarnation of CBS Corporation (the first being a short-lived rename of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation) was an American multinational media conglomerate with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing, and t ...
.


Early life and education

A native of New Jersey,James, Meg
"Viacom CEO Bob Bakish pushes turnaround plan for Paramount and MTV: 'I look under the hood'"
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
''. February 9, 2017.
Bakish attended
Dwight-Englewood School The Dwight-Englewood School (D-E) is an independent coeducational college-preparatory day school, located in Englewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school teaches students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in thr ...
in
Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which at the 2020 United States census had a population of 29,308. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from po ...
, graduating in 1981."Robert M. Bakish: Dwight-Englewood School 1981 – Honored 2011"
Dwight-Englewood School The Dwight-Englewood School (D-E) is an independent coeducational college-preparatory day school, located in Englewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school teaches students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in thr ...
. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
He received a Bachelor of Science in operations research in 1985 from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
's School of Engineering and Applied Science."Robert Marc Bakish"
Columbia Business School Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and is one of the oldest bu ...
. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
Bakish, Robert
"Address by 2013 Class Day Speaker Robert M. Bakish, Viacom International Media Networks CEO"
Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science. June 3, 2013.
He earned an MBA from
Columbia Business School Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and is one of the oldest bu ...
in 1989. After receiving his MBA, Bakish joined the management and technology consulting firm
Booz Allen Hamilton Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (informally Booz Allen) is the parent of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., an American management and information technology consulting firm, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in Greater Washington, D.C., with ...
in 1990, and rose to become a partner in its media and entertainment practice.
CBS Corporation The second incarnation of CBS Corporation (the first being a short-lived rename of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation) was an American multinational media conglomerate with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing, and t ...

"Form 10-K Annual Report"
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...
. March 30, 1998.


Career at Paramount


Early positions

In February 1997, Bakish joined Viacom. Initially as Vice President of Planning and Development, he became Senior Vice President of Planning, Development and Technology in January 1998. In October 1999, he became the Executive Vice President of Planning and Business Development of Viacom's subsidiary
MTV Networks Paramount Media 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 Paramount Global tha ...
. From 2001 through 2004, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of advertising sales at MTV Networks. In 2004, he was appointed Executive Vice President of Operations of Viacom, Inc.,"Freston Takes Charge At Viacom"
'' Hits''. July 29, 2004.
and in 2006 he was also appointed Executive Vice President of Viacom Enterprises.Dawtrey, Adam
"MTV taps int'l prexy"
''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film) ...
''. January 8, 2007.
In these two positions, he was responsible for Viacom's strategic planning and business development plus oversight of a range of business units including
Famous Music Famous Music Corporation was the worldwide music publishing division of Paramount Pictures, a division of Paramount Global since 1994. Its copyright holdings span several decades and includes music from such Academy Award-winning motion pictures ...
,
Famous Players Famous Players Limited Partnership, DBA Famous Players, is a Canadian-based subsidiary of Cineplex Entertainment. As an independent company, it existed as a film exhibitor and cable television service provider. Famous Players operated numerou ...
, Viacom Plus sales and information services and technology, as well as heading Viacom's cross-divisional marketing council."Robert M. Bakish"
Avid. Retrieved September 13, 2018.


Head of international operations

In January 2007 Bakish became President of
MTV Networks International Paramount International Networks (PIN) is the international division of Paramount Global. The division oversees the production, broadcasting and promotion of key Paramount's brands outside of the United States. These brands include Paramount Net ...
(MTVNI), with financial and management responsibility for MTVNI, overseeing all MTV Networks operations outside the U.S. He immediately restructured MTVNI, cutting 8% of the workforce in addition to merging some overseas units with the UK business and devolving responsibilities for Latin American operations to new offices across the region. He launched the popular
Colors Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are asso ...
franchise of networks via the
Viacom18 Viacom18 Media Private Limited is an Indian media and entertainment joint venture between TV18 and Paramount Global based in Mumbai. It was founded in 2007 and owns various channels, as well as content production studios in India. History In ...
joint venture in the high-growth market of India.Szalai, Georg
"Viacom Names Bob Bakish Acting CEO"
''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''. October 31, 2016.
"Viacom's Bob Bakish to speak at IGNITION"
''
Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
''. July 10, 2017.
MTVNI had double-digit, year-on-year growth during his tenure."Robert Bakish"
'' FT Live''. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
When MTVNI CEO Bill Roedy resigned in January 2011, Bakish was promoted to the newly created position of President and CEO of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN).Szalai, Georg
"Viacom Promotes Robert Bakish to CEO of All International Networks"
''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''. January 19, 2011.
This promotion included responsibility for all Viacom media networks and operations internationally, including
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a d ...
,
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
,
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programm ...
,
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
,
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communi ...
, VIVA, TMF, Game One and
MTV Tres MTV Tres (taken from the Spanish word for the number three ''tres'', stylized as tr3s, with an acute accent over the '3') is an American owned by Paramount Media Networks, a subsidiary of Paramount Global. The channel is targeted toward biling ...
; plus oversight of all of Viacom’s international TV-related joint ventures, including Viacom18 in India and ViacomSBS in Korea, as well as channel ventures with
BSkyB Sky UK Limited is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television and broadband Internet services, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of ...
in the UK and
Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...
in Australia. In all, VIMN operations at the time of his appointment consisted of 145 television channels in 160 countries and territories, plus related digital properties and consumer products businesses. During his tenure, Bakish expanded Viacom's international footprint, and VIMN was Viacom's most successful division; revenue doubled, and VIMN grew to more than 200 television channels.Maglio, Tony
"Viacom Names Robert Bakish Acting President, CEO"
''
The Wrap ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
''. October 31, 2016.
Under his leadership, the
Paramount Channel Paramount Network is a brand of several television channels operated by Paramount International Networks that showcase the Paramount Pictures film catalogue, and selected TV series from Paramount Global's television productions. The channel was ...
was launched, offering movies and television shows in Europe, Latin America and Russia. He oversaw the expansion of networks such as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and
Spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...
to an increasing number of foreign markets, and helped orchestrate the acquisition of Channel 5 in the UK and
Telefe Telefe (acronym for Televisión Federal) is a television station located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The station is owned and operated by Paramount Global through Televisión Federal S.A. Telefe is also one of Argentina's six national televisio ...
in Argentina. He also oversaw the launch of apps, including the Viacom Play Plex suite of branded mobile TV apps and the BET Play direct-to-consumer subscription video-on-demand app for an adult audience.


CEO

In October 2016, Bakish was named acting President and CEO of Viacom effective November 15, replacing interim CEO Tom Dooley.Lieberman, David
"Viacom Names Bob Bakish Acting CEO When Tom Dooley Steps Down"
''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, w ...
''. October 31, 2016.
James, Meg
"Viacom names Robert Bakish as acting CEO"
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
''. October 31, 2016.
Badkar, Mamta
"Viacom taps Bob Bakish for CEO"
''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
''. October 31, 2016.
Simultaneously, he was also appointed President and CEO of the newly created Viacom Global Entertainment Group, combining Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) with Viacom's Music and Entertainment group, which includes MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Spike TV and
Logo TV Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment prog ...
; two additional networks,
TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...
and CMT, also joined the Global Entertainment Group. Optimistic that Bakish could make good on his plans to turn Viacom's core U.S. cable networks and its
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-olde ...
film studio around, the board of directors of Viacom Inc. made Bakish's appointment as President and CEO permanent on December 12, 2016.
Bloomberg News Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg Te ...

"Viacom's new CEO pursues turnaround with CBS out of the picture"
''
Crain's New York Business Crain Communications Inc is an American multi-industry publishing conglomerate based in Detroit, Michigan, United States, with 13 non-US subsidiaries. History Gustavus Dedman (G.D.) Crain, Jr. ( Gustavus Demetrious Crain, Jr.; 1885–1973), pre ...
''. December 12, 2016.
In early 2017, Bakish laid out a five-point plan to turn Viacom around and return the company to steady profitability. This consisted of focusing on Viacom's six flagship brands: BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Paramount; revitalizing content and talent; deepening distributor and advertiser partnerships to drive traditional revenue; increasing digital offerings, consumer products and live experiences; and optimizing and energizing the organization.Maglio, Tony
"Here’s Viacom’s New 5-Point Strategic Plan: 6 Brands, ‘Deeper Integration of Paramount’"
''
The Wrap ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
''. February 9, 2017.
Szalai, Georg
"Viacom Unveils Focus on Flagship Brands, 'Deeper Integration' of Paramount Pictures"
''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''. February 9, 2017.
Lieberman, David
"Viacom CEO Vows To Make Company More Focused And Forward-Looking"
''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, w ...
''. February 9, 2017.
Littleton, Cynthia
"Viacom Sets Radical Revamp of Cable Operations, Adapting to Skinny-Bundle Era"
''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film) ...
''. February 9, 2017.
The strategy also included having
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-olde ...
develop films and franchises connected to Viacom television content; additionally, Spike TV would be rebranded as and converted to a broad-based general entertainment channel, the
Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was o ...
, in early 2018. By the fall of 2017 Bakish had restructured Viacom, replacing executives at nearly every company, including hiring
Jim Gianopulos James N. Gianopulos ( el, Δημήτρης Γιαννόπουλος) is an American businessman. He served as the head of 20th Century Fox and most recently as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Paramount Pictures until his ouster i ...
- formerly chairman and CEO of
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
, as the new chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures. In 2018, Bakish's implementation of his five-point comprehensive strategy was credited with Viacom's much improved finances and improved company morale and focus. In 2018, under Bakish's direction and in accordance with his plan to capture younger and digital markets, Viacom acquired digital platform
WhoSay WhoSay is an American social media service and branding platform for celebrities and their fans. Founded in Los Angeles in 2010, with financing by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Amazon.com and other investors, it is notable for allowing its users ...
, internet video conference
VidCon VidCon is an annual convention for fans, creators, executives, and online brands. The event primarily features prominent video stars from across the internet. In October 2020, VidCon Now relaunched as an ongoing, free digital offering. Vetera ...
,Bloom, David
"Viacom Courts The Youth Vote With VidCon, WHOSAY"
''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
''. June 20, 2018.
Lopez, Ricardo
"Viacom Acquiring VidCon"
''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film) ...
''. February 5, 2018.
and online television network
AwesomenessTV Awesomeness (abbreviation of AwesomenessTV) is an American-based film and television studio as well as a multi-channel based multilingual television network owned by Paramount Digital Studios, a division of Paramount Global. Established in Jun ...
. In early 2018, Bakish also announced the launch of an official Viacom streaming service, which will support ads and will include series and content from Viacom that hasn't been available on other streaming services. In April 2018, Viacom launched Viacom Digital Studios, which will create new original content hosted on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. In addition, later that June, Bakish announced that Viacom will produce some new series exclusively for
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
, beginning with Nickelodeon-related content. In September 2018, due largely to his turnaround of Viacom, ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' listed Bakish as #20 in its ''The Hollywood Reporter'' 100: The Most Powerful People in Entertainment 2018. Bakish retained the role of CEO when CBS Corporation and Viacom reunited under a single company to form Paramount Global (then known as ViacomCBS), which closed on December 4, 2019.


Board memberships

Bakish has been on the Board of Directors of Paramount since its merger, and previously at Viacom from December 12, 2016 up until the merger. He is also on the Board of Directors at Avid Technology, Inc. He is on the Board of Overseers at
Columbia Business School Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and is one of the oldest bu ...
, and is also an active member of its Media & Technology Forum. He is also on the Board of Visitors at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
's School of Engineering and Applied Science. Bakish was previously Chairman of the board of Viacom 18 Media from 2007 until February 28, 2018. He was also Chairman of the Cable Television Advertising Bureau from 2003 to 2005."Robert Marc Bakish"
Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and ...
. Retrieved September 14, 2018.


Personal life

Bakish and his wife Dee live in New York and have two daughters.


References


External links


Official bio
at
ViacomCBS Paramount Global (doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. It ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakish, Robert American chief executives in the media industry American television executives Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni Columbia Business School alumni Booz Allen Hamilton people Dwight-Englewood School alumni People from Englewood, New Jersey Living people 1963 births Paramount Global people American chief executives of Fortune 500 companies