ViacomCBS was formed when Viacom and CBS Corporation merged in 2019.
The two companies announced an agreement in August 2019, and the transaction closed in December 2019. The combination reunited assets that had separated from the original Viacom in 2005. The merged company brought together CBS broadcast television, the Paramount Pictures film studio, cable networks such as Nickelodeon and MTV, and a large library of entertainment content.
ViacomCBS was led by president and chief executive Bob Bakish. The company’s portfolio was intended to strengthen its position as streaming services reshaped television and film distribution. Its streaming service Paramount+ expanded internationally during this period.
In February 2022, ViacomCBS announced that it would rename itself Paramount Global. That later name change is why some sources use “Paramount” when discussing the company’s current identity, while “ViacomCBS” is the correct name for the business formed by the 2019 merger.