(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.
- Established experimental television stations in Los Angeles ('''W6XYZ''') as Television Productions Inc. and Chicago ('''W9XBK''') with Balaban And Katz .
- Began commercial broadcasting over '''WBKB''' in Chicago (now WBBM ).
- Began commercial broadcasting over KTLA in Los Angeles.
- The first major studio to establish program syndication as Paramount Television Network (much of which originated from KTLA).
- Desilu Productions formed by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball .
- CBS formed '''CBS Productions'''.
- CBS formed '''CBS Films''' as the distributor.
- Desilu formed '''Desilu Sales Inc.''' as their syndication arm.
- ABC formed Worldvision Enterprises (WVE) as the network's international distribution arm.
- '''Group W Productions''' estabilished by Westinghouse Broadcasting
- King World Productions (KWP) founded by Charles King.
- Paramount branched out of broadcasting with the sale of KTLA to Golden West Broadcasters .
- March 24 , Gulf+Western acquires Paramount Pictures .
- Desilu Productions was acquired by Gulf+Western . The company was renamed to '''Paramount Television''' in December . Desilu Sales was in turn merged with Paramount's syndication division to become '''Paramount Television Sales'''.
- Spelling Entertainment Group established by Aaron Spelling.
- CBS Films was spun-off as Video & Audio Communications (or Viacom ).
- Worldvision name adapted by ABC's original domestic syndication arm, formed in 1962.
- Viacom Productions , a television company, was formed by Viacom.
- Paramount Television Service was formed.
- Worldvision acquired by Taft Entertainment Company (TECO)
- '''Paramount Television Group''' and '''Paramount Domestic Television and Video Programming''' was established.
- June 5 , Gulf+Western was reincorporated as Paramount Communications , Inc.
- Worldvision acquired by Spelling
- March 11 , Viacom acquired Paramount Communications, resulting in the formation of Paramount/Viacom as a byline for several of Viacom's subsidiaries.
- 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).
- Viacom launched the United Paramount Network ( UPN ) with Chris-Craft Industries .
- Westinghouse Electric acquires CBS and the company is renamed to CBS, Inc.
- Group W Productions is renamed to Eyemark Entertainment.
- Viacom acquired 80% of Spelling Entertainment Group (Such as Spelling Television ) and Rysher Entertainment 's TV holdings.
- Viacom merged with its creator CBS.
- In January, CBS acquires King World and forms CBS Enterprises, Inc.
- After Viacom's merger with CBS, Paramount TV acquired CBS Enterprises, which included King World at that time.
- Viacom merged the international television banners of CBS Broadcast International and Paramount International Television to form CBS Paramount International Television .
- Viacom Productions was folded into Paramount Television by ceasing its television operations.
- When the CBS/Viacom split took effect, CBS inherited Paramount's TV program library, with Viacom keeping Paramount's films.
- 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. {Link without Title}
- CBS Corp. merged its TV distribution arms; King World, CBS Paramount International Television and CBS Paramount Domestic Television to form CBS Television Distribution (CTD).
According to the CBS Corporation website, CBS Paramount Television (CPT) comprises three divisions: CBS Paramount Network Television (the division's production arm), CBS Paramount Domestic Television (which distributes the division's television holdings within the United States), and
CBS Paramount International Television (which distributes programming outside the United States). Today, CPT comprises two divisions: CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS Television Distribution.
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.
Today, KWP is a division of CTD. But, in the U.S., King World distributes its product independently from CPT, while internationally CBS Paramount Television handles distribution and sales.
Among CBS Paramount Television's holdings are libraries from the following:
- Television rights to Paramount Pictures films, including:
- ---Some of Paramount's silent films from 1923-28, and most sound films from 1950 onward
--Many of the silent films (especially those before 1923) are in the Public Domain , and may be distributed by companies which distribute public domain features on TV. Yet another portion of the silent films are Lost . Some silents are currently aired on TCM .
--This library does not include most of Paramount's pre-1950 theatrical sound features, which are owned by EMKA, Ltd. , a name-only division of NBC Universal 's Universal Studios . These are instead distributed by NBC Universal Television Distribution .
- Shows produced by Paramount Television , including:
- ---Post-1960 programs acquired from Desilu Productions , including Star Trek
- Group W Productions
- Bing Crosby Productions (selected series that were distributed by Viacom)
- some of the Rysher Entertainment programs
- Viacom including:
- ---The CBS television catalog (which includes '' The Twilight Zone '')
--The pre-1960 shows by Desliu (including '' I Love Lucy '')
- ---The CBS theatrical library (including '' The African Queen '', Cinema Center Films originally released by National General Pictures, and its in-house theatrical productions from predecessors CBS Films and CBS Productions)
- ---The Terrytoons library
- ---Viacom's in-house productions (such as '''')
- ---Most of the Elvis Presley film library originally distributed by Paramount
- ---The television rights to most of the Cannon Films library
- Spelling Entertainment Group: which includes
- --- Spelling Television and most of the libraries of ancestor companies
- --- Big Ticket Television
- --- Republic Pictures including:
--much of its own library of films and in-house TV series
--The inherited holdings of National Telefilm Associates (NTA), which itself includes:
-'' It's A Wonderful Life ''
-Most of Paramount's own classic animated library
-Some early United Artists material (including '' High Noon '')
-Pre-1973 NBC shows, such as '' Get Smart '' and '' Bonanza ''
- --- Worldvision Enterprises
--Much of the Quinn Martin library
--Pre-1973 ABC shows, as well as US television rights to NBC 's '' Little House On The Prairie '' (premiered in 1974)
--The television rights to most of the Carolco Pictures library
- King World Productions (which include its in-house productions such as '' Inside Edition '' and '' Mr. Food '', as well as other inherited properties, and the television distribution rights to its own library of theatrical films such as '' My Fair Lady '', which cousin company CBS owns the copyright to--these were distributed separately until 2007)
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 '') in co-operation with
Tribune Entertainment , while being solely responsible for DreamWorks' TV series (such as ''
Spin City '', which Paramount TV had already syndicated since 2000, and ''
Father Of The Pride '').
- Desilu Productions ( 1951 - 1967 )
- Paramount Television (1967- 2006 )
- CBS Productions ( 1952 -2006)
- [http://www.cbsparamount.com/ CBS Paramount Television ''(site under construction)'']
- [http://www.rugratonline.com/timeline.htm/ The Rugrats Timeline]
