Paramount Media Networks facts for kids
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Formerly
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| Founded | December 1, 1977 (as Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment) June 25, 1984 (as public company) |
| Founder | Robert Pittman |
| Headquarters | 1515 Broadway,
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Key people
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| Parent | Paramount Global |
| Divisions | Paramount Digital Studios |
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Paramount Media Networks is a big American company that is part of Paramount Global. It started as MTV Networks in 1984. Later, it was called Viacom Media Networks and then ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks. This company manages many popular television channels and online brands. Its international partner is Paramount International Networks.
The famous music channel MTV is managed by a part of this company called MTV Entertainment Group.
History
How it Started: Working with Warner (1977–1984)
Warner Cable Communications began on December 1, 1977. It was part of Warner Communications. Their goal was to launch QUBE, a new kind of interactive TV network.
Warner Cable saw that new TV channels could be very successful. So, they turned QUBE's popular shows into channels for everyone. Star Channel became The Movie Channel in 1979. Pinwheel became Nickelodeon in April 1979. Because of these changes, Warner Cable Communications was renamed Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment. It became a joint project between Warner Cable and American Express.
In 1980, Warner-Amex teamed up with Cablevision's Rainbow Media. Together, they launched Bravo on December 1, 1980. Bravo was a channel for arts and movies. However, Warner-Amex sold its full control of Bravo to Rainbow Media in 1984.
On August 1, 1981, the music channel MTV started broadcasting.
In 1983, Warner-Amex joined with Viacom. They combined The Movie Channel with Viacom's movie channel, Showtime. This created Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc..
Becoming MTV Networks: Viacom Takes Over (1984–2011)
On June 25, 1984, Warner Communications decided to make Nickelodeon, MTV, and VH-1 (which started in 1985) into a new public company. They called it MTV Networks. A year later, Warner bought the rest of the company from American Express.
On August 27, 1985, Warner sold 31% of MTV Networks to Viacom. Warner also sold 19% of its Showtime/The Movie Channel company to Viacom.
In November 1985, Viacom announced plans to buy the remaining 69% of MTV Networks from Warner. This deal was completed on May 20, 1986.
In 2003, MTV Networks took full ownership of Comedy Central.
On December 31, 2005, MTV Networks and Showtime Networks became separate. This happened when Viacom split into two companies. One was CBS Corporation, which kept CBS and Showtime Networks. The other was a new company called Viacom. This new Viacom owned Paramount Pictures, BET Networks, and MTV Networks. In 2011, MTV Networks was renamed "Viacom Media Networks."
Growing Bigger (2011–2019)
Around 2012, experts noticed that some of Viacom's main channels in the U.S. were losing viewers. MTV, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon were a big concern. These three channels made up about half of Viacom's profits.
In 2017, Viacom announced a new plan. The company decided to focus most of its money and effort on six main brands. These were MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. Channel, BET, and Paramount Pictures. In February 2017, channels like CMT and TV Land were moved to a different group. It was also announced that Spike TV would become Paramount Network in 2018. This new channel would be Viacom's main channel for general entertainment.
In 2019, Viacom bought a free streaming service called Pluto TV. After this, Viacom launched many channels on Pluto TV that were based on its own TV networks and shows.
Joining Back with CBS (2019–Present)
In August 2019, Viacom announced that it would merge with CBS Corporation. This brought the two companies back together under the name ViacomCBS. The merger finished on December 4, 2019.
As part of this merger, the Media Networks division was renamed "ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks" on November 11, 2019. It was also reorganized. MTV, VH1, CMT, and Logo were grouped into the "Entertainment & Youth Group." This group also included Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel, and TV Land.
On February 16, 2022, ViacomCBS changed its name to Paramount Global. At the same time, ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks was renamed Paramount Media Networks. On May 9, 2023, Paramount announced plans to reorganize its U.S. TV network business.
Channels List
Current Channels
| Category | Name | Notes | Launch |
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| MTV Entertainment Group | |||
| MTV Branded Networks | MTV | 1 | August 1, 1981 |
| MTV2 | August 1, 1996 | ||
| MTV Classic | 19 | August 1, 1998 | |
| MTV Live | 20 | January 16, 2006 | |
| MTV Tres | August 1, 1998 | ||
| MTVU | 22 | January 20, 2004 | |
| Entertainment & Youth Group | CMT | 5 | March 5, 1983 |
| Comedy Central | 2 | June 1, 1991 | |
| Logo TV | 4 | June 30, 2005 | |
| Paramount Network | 3, 5 | March 7, 1983 | |
| Pop | 15 | 1981 | |
| Smithsonian Channel | 13 | September 26, 2007 | |
| TV Land | 14 | April 29, 1996 | |
| Premium Networks Group (Showtime Networks) | |||
| Showtime Networks | Paramount+ with Showtime
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12 | May 9, 1976 (Showtime) October 1, 1991 (Showtime 2) September 1999 (SHO×BET) 1996 (Showcase) March 10, 1998 (Showtime Extreme) March 2001 (Showtime Family Zone, Next and Women) |
The Movie Channel
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18 | December 1, 1979 October 1, 1997 |
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| Flix | 16 | August 1, 1992 | |
| Kids & Family Entertainment (Nickelodeon Group) | |||
| Nickelodeon Networks | Nickelodeon | 7 | April 1, 1979 |
| Nick Jr. | 8 | September 28, 2009 | |
| Nick at Nite | July 1, 1985 | ||
| NickMusic | 9 | May 1, 2002 | |
| Nicktoons | 10 | ||
| TeenNick | 11 | September 28, 2009 | |
Past Channels and Blocks
- BET Networks (now part of CBS Entertainment Group)
- Bravo (sold in 1984, now owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal)
- C-3 (became Nickelodeon)
- Sight on Sound (became MTV)
- Nick GAS (1999–2007)
- VH1 Uno (2000–2008); became MTVU
- NickMom (2012–2016), a late-night block for moms.
- Noggin (TV Channel) (1999–2009); became the Nick Jr. Channel
- TEENick (Nickelodeon block) (2001–2009)); joined with "The N" to form TeenNick
- The N (2002–2009); joined with "TEENick" to form TeenNick
- NickRewind (2011–2022), a block on TeenNick showing classic shows.
- SNICK (1992–2005)
- Nick on CBS/Nick Jr. on CBS (2000–2006)
- Showtime Beyond (1999–2020), became SHO×BET.
- MTVX, became MTV Jams in 2002, focusing on hip-hop music.
- VH121 (now part of BET Networks)
- VH1 MegaHits, became Logo TV in 2005.
Other Things Paramount Media Networks Owns
Online Websites
Paramount Media Networks also owns many websites. These include MTV News and AwesomenessTV. The company used to have a virtual world system called Virtual MTV.
In the past, the company owned other websites like the virtual pets site Neopets. They also owned game websites such as AddictingGames.com and Shockwave.com. Other sites included Atom Entertainment, RateMyProfessors.com, GameTrailers, and iFilm. Many of these have been closed or sold over the years.
In early 2008, iFilm was combined with Spike. Its website was renamed Spike.com.
In 2014, Viacom bought a share in multi-channel network Defy Media. At the same time, they sold GameTrailers, Addicting Games, and Shockwave to Defy.
Video Games
In 2006, Viacom bought Harmonix. This company makes music video games and created the Guitar Hero series. Viacom also bought Xfire, a platform for gamers to talk to each other.
In 2010, Harmonix was sold and became an independent company again. Xfire was also sold.
In 2011, Viacom started its own game studio called 345 Games. This studio made games based on shows from Comedy Central, MTV, and Spike.
Company Groups
MTV Entertainment Group
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| Subsidiary | |
| Founded | June 25, 1984 (as MTV Networks) August 1, 1996 (as a separate group) |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Key people
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Chris McCarthy (president and CEO) |
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| Parent | Paramount Media Networks |
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The MTV Entertainment Group is a part of Paramount Media Networks. It manages many popular entertainment brands. These include MTV, Comedy Central, and Paramount Network.
- MTV
- MTV2
- MTV Classic
- MTV Live
- MTVU
- MTV Tres
- Comedy Central
- Comedy Central Now
- Comedy Central Records
- South Park Digital Studios (works with Trey Parker & Matt Stone's South Park Studios)
- CMT
- CMT Canada (10% owned)
- CMT Music
- Logo TV
- SnowGlobe Music Festival
- Paramount Network
- Pop
- Smithsonian Channel
- United Kingdom (closed in 2023)
- Canada (6.67% owned; works with Blue Ant Media)
- TV Land
In 2022, MTV Entertainment Group teamed up with Second Chance Studios. They launched a program to help people start careers in media.
Showtime Networks, Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. is another part of Paramount Media Networks. It manages the company's special movie channels. These include its main channel, Showtime.
Nickelodeon Group
The Nickelodeon Group is an American entertainment company. It is also known as "Nickelodeon Networks Inc." or "Paramount Kids and Family Group." This group manages Paramount's TV channels for kids. Its main channel is Nickelodeon.
See also
In Spanish: Paramount Media Networks para niños
