Paramount Global

What does Paramount Global own?
Paramount Global owns and operates a comprehensive portfolio of entertainment brands including Paramount Pictures film studio, CBS broadcast network, Paramount+ streaming service, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, and Pluto TV. The company also holds significant content libraries and production facilities across film, television, and digital media platforms.

Is Paramount Global publicly traded?
Yes, Paramount Global is publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under ticker symbols PARA (Class A shares) and PARAA (Class B shares). The company has been publicly traded since the 2019 Viacom/CBS merger and is included in major stock market indices.

Who founded Paramount Global?
Paramount Global was formed through the December 2019 merger of Viacom and CBS Corporation, reuniting companies that had been separated in 2006. The merger was led by the boards and leadership teams of both companies, with Bob Bakish serving as the initial CEO of the combined entity.

Where is Paramount Global headquartered?
Paramount Global is headquartered in New York City, New York, USA. The company maintains its primary corporate offices in Manhattan, with additional production facilities and operations in Los Angeles and other entertainment industry hubs.

How many subscribers does Paramount+ have?
Paramount+ reached 79 million global subscribers as of 2025, representing 11% year-over-year growth. The streaming service continues to expand internationally and is a key component of Paramount's direct-to-consumer strategy.

Who owns Paramount Global?
Paramount Global is owned by public shareholders through its NASDAQ-listed shares, with the Redstone family maintaining control through National Amusements' holdings of Class B shares with ten votes per share. Institutional investors, mutual funds, and individual shareholders own the remaining publicly traded shares.

What is Paramount Global's revenue?
Paramount Global reported annual revenue of approximately $28.1 billion for fiscal year 2024. The company targets overall revenue of $30 billion for fiscal 2026, driven by streaming growth and improved operational efficiency across its business segments.

Paramount Global employs approximately 24,500 people worldwide, with major operations in New York, Los Angeles, and other global locations. The company continues to invest heavily in streaming technology and content production to compete in the evolving media landscape.

Paramount Global's history traces back to the media empire built by Sumner Redstone, which controlled both Viacom and CBS before their 2006 separation. The companies operated independently for over a decade, with Viacom focusing on cable networks like MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central, while CBS maintained broadcast television and production operations.

The 2019 merger, valued at approximately $12 billion, reunited the companies under ViacomCBS leadership with Bob Bakish as CEO. The merger aimed to create scale necessary to compete in the streaming era against giants like Netflix, Disney, and Amazon. The combined company brought together complementary assets: CBS's broadcast reach and news operations with Viacom's cable networks and Paramount Pictures' film library.

In February 2022, the company rebranded from ViacomCBS to Paramount Global, emphasizing the Paramount brand's global recognition and streaming ambitions. The rebranding coincided with increased investment in Paramount+ and efforts to create a unified streaming strategy across the company's content assets.

The company faced significant challenges including declining traditional television viewership, competitive streaming pressures, and the need to rebuild its film slate. In 2024, Skydance Media merged with Paramount's film division, bringing new leadership under David Ellison and a strategic focus on quality over quantity in film production.

Recent years have seen Paramount+ subscriber growth reaching 79 million globally, though the company continues to navigate the challenging transition from linear television to streaming. The company maintains valuable media rights including NFL broadcasting and has expressed confidence in maintaining these partnerships going forward.

Paramount Global has implemented comprehensive sustainability and ESG initiatives focused on environmental responsibility, social impact, and ethical business practices across its global operations and content production activities.

The company's Peak Sustainability strategy, particularly advanced in the UK operations, includes establishing a Sustainability Board to hold senior management accountable for environmental goals, creating employee-led sustainability working groups, and implementing comprehensive training programs through internal initiatives like Spark World week.

Environmental initiatives focus on carbon reduction targets, sustainable production practices, and renewable energy adoption. Paramount UK has implemented electric vehicle loan schemes for London-based employees and considers environmental impact when selecting key suppliers and partners.

In content production, Paramount has developed sustainable production guidelines to reduce the environmental impact of film and television production. The company reports on Scope 3 emissions reduction and integrates sustainability considerations into production decisions and facility management.

Social impact initiatives include diversity and inclusion programs, employee resource groups, and community engagement activities. The company produces content addressing social issues and maintains partnerships with organizations promoting positive social change.

Paramount publishes annual ESG reports detailing progress across three key areas: On-Screen Content & Social Impact, Workforce & Culture, and Sustainable Production & Operations. The company's sustainability reporting provides transparency on environmental goals, diversity metrics, and ethical business practices.

Paramount Global and its brands have received extensive recognition for entertainment excellence, innovation, and industry leadership across film, television, and digital media categories.

• Academy Awards: Multiple Oscars for Paramount Pictures films, recognizing excellence in film production and artistic achievement across various categories including Best Picture, acting, and technical awards.
• Emmy Awards: Numerous Primetime Emmy Awards for CBS, Showtime, and Paramount+ original programming, recognizing excellence in television production across drama, comedy, news, and documentary categories.
• Peabody Awards: Recognition for excellence in electronic media, particularly for CBS News documentaries and socially impactful programming across news and entertainment content.
• Producers Guild of America Awards: Multiple awards recognizing outstanding achievement in film, television, and digital media production, highlighting Paramount's production quality and industry leadership.
• Technology and Innovation Awards: Recognition for streaming technology innovation, particularly for Paramount+ platform development and Pluto TV's free ad-supported streaming model.

The company's brands consistently receive industry recognition for creative excellence, audience engagement, and technical innovation, validating Paramount's position as a leader in global entertainment.

Paramount Global has faced various regulatory challenges, public scrutiny, and industry controversies throughout its operations, particularly regarding content decisions, competitive practices, and corporate governance matters.

Content censorship and creative freedom controversies have emerged regarding programming decisions on both traditional and digital platforms. The company has faced criticism from various political perspectives regarding news coverage on CBS and content decisions on streaming platforms, reflecting the challenges of operating in a polarized media environment.

Competitive practices and antitrust scrutiny have surrounded Paramount's market position in traditional broadcasting and streaming. The company's NFL broadcasting rights and sports programming have drawn attention from regulators and competitors regarding market dominance and competitive access to live sports content.

Corporate governance controversies have included questions about dual-class share structures and family control through the Redstone family's voting shares. Some investors and governance advocates have raised concerns about the balance between family control and public shareholder interests in corporate decision-making.

Workplace issues have included labor disputes with unions representing writers, actors, and production staff during industry-wide strikes and contract negotiations. The company has faced criticism regarding diversity representation and workplace culture across its various business units.

Financial performance challenges, particularly streaming losses and traditional television revenue declines, have drawn investor scrutiny regarding the company's transition strategy and long-term competitive positioning in the evolving media landscape.