CBS Interactive

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, and Tom Ryan is the company's president and CEO.

History

As CBS Digital Media and CBS Interactive

The company was founded in 2005 as CBS Digital Media. In 2007, CBS Digital Media rebranded as CBS Interactive. On May 30, 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for £140 million (US$280 million). 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.

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.Giant Bomb, Comic Vine join CBS Interactive
GameSpot.com

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Properties

Some of the digital media properties under Paramount Streaming are:

* Paramount+
* Pluto TV
* 5 (streaming service)
* SkyShowtime (50%, joint-venture with Comcast)
* Philo (joint venture with A&E Networks, AMC Networks, and Warner Bros. Discovery)
* FuboTV (acquired an undisclosed stake in 2020)

Divested/defunct

* Noggin
* Nick+

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.

Notes

References

{{Paramount Global

1992 establishments in California
American companies established in 1992
Mass media companies established in 1992
Streaming