Paramount Streaming
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Streaming media |
| Predecessor | CBS Interactive, CBS Digital Media, ViacomCBS Streaming |
| Founded | 2005 |
Key people | Tom Ryan (President and CEO) |
| Products | Paramount+, Pluto TV, 5 (streaming service), SkyShowtime (50% ownership), Philo, FuboTV (minority interest) |
| Parent | Paramount Skydance Corporation |
Paramount Streaming—previously known as CBS Digital Media, CBS Interactive, and ViacomCBS Streaming—operates as a segment of Paramount Skydance Corporation, overseeing the enterprise’s video streaming infrastructure and direct-to-consumer platforms, including notable services like Pluto TV and Paramount+. Established in 2005, the division is currently led by President and CEO Tom Ryan.
Origins as CBS Digital Media and CBS Interactive
The entity was launched in 2005 under the name CBS Digital Media, transitioning to CBS Interactive in 2007. That same year, it acquired Last.fm for £140 million (approximately US$280 million). The following year, CBS expanded its digital footprint by purchasing CNET Networks, integrating prominent assets such as Metacritic, GameSpot, TV.com, and Movietome into the CBS Interactive portfolio.
In 2012, the company bolstered its gaming content offerings by acquiring Giant Bomb and Comic Vine from Whiskey Media, reuniting veteran video game journalist Jeff Gerstmann with former colleagues at GameSpot.
Additionally, during 2012, CBS Interactive forged a partnership with both Major League Gaming and Twitch, securing exclusive online broadcasting rights and advertising representation for MLG’s Pro Circuit competitions, thereby strengthening its esports presence.
Post-merger developments with CBS Corp. and Viacom
On November 4, 2019, after nine years at the helm, Jim Lanzone departed CBS Interactive to join Benchmark Capital as an executive in residence; Marc DeBevoise succeeded him.
The merger of CBS Corporation and Viacom on December 4, 2019, resulted in the formation of ViacomCBS. Subsequently, on September 14, 2020, ViacomCBS agreed to divest the "CNET Media Group" to Red Ventures for $500 million—a transaction finalized on October 30, 2020.
Following this divestiture, CBS Interactive was dissolved and restructured as ViacomCBS Streaming, with a renewed focus on advancing ViacomCBS's direct-to-consumer streaming initiatives. On March 4, 2021, the service formerly known as CBS All Access was rebranded as Paramount+, broadening its content library and expanding its market reach.
In late 2021, Comcast partnered with ViacomCBS to launch SkyShowtime, a joint streaming platform aimed at over twenty European countries. SkyShowtime supplanted Paramount+ in regions including the Nordics, Hungary, and Poland while debuting in new markets such as Albania, Croatia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, among others. By February 2022, following the parent company’s transition to Paramount Global branding, ViacomCBS Streaming adopted the name Paramount Streaming.
Properties
Paramount Streaming manages several significant digital media assets:
- Paramount+
- Pluto TV
- 5 (streaming service)
- SkyShowtime (50% ownership through joint venture with Comcast)
- Philo (a collaborative venture alongside A&E Networks, AMC Networks, and Warner Bros. Discovery)
- FuboTV (minority interest acquired in 2020)
Divested and Discontinued Assets
Among the company's previous holdings were Noggin and Nick+. During its period as CBS Interactive, the firm managed a variety of websites, the majority of which were transferred to Red Ventures in 2020. This portfolio included notable sites such as CNET, GameSpot, Metacritic, and TV.com, reflecting a deliberate move away from digital media publishing towards prioritizing streaming platforms.