CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc.
Logo used since October 8, 2020[a]
TypeRadio and television broadcaster
CountryUnited States
Affiliates
HeadquartersCBS Building, Manhattan, New York City, United States
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format1080i HDTV
Ownership
OwnerParamount Global
ParentCBS Entertainment
Key people
History
FoundedSeptember 18, 1927
(97 years ago)
 (1927-09-18)
Launched
  • Radio: September 18, 1927 (1927-09-18)
  • Television: July 1, 1941 (1941-07-01)
Founder
Former names
  • United Independent Broadcasters, Inc. (1927–1928)
  • Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System (1928)
  • Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (1928–1974)
  • CBS, Inc. (1974–1997)
Links
Websitecbs.com
Availability
Streaming media
Affiliated Streaming Service(s)Paramount+
Pluto TV
The evolution of Paramount
1886Westinghouse Electric Corporation is founded as Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company
1912Famous Players Film Company is founded
1913Lasky Feature Play Company is founded
1914Paramount Pictures is founded
1916Famous Players and Lasky merge as Famous Players–Lasky and acquire Paramount
1927Famous Players–Lasky renamed to Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation; CBS is founded with investment from Columbia Records
1929Paramount acquires 49% of CBS
1930Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation renamed to Paramount Publix Corporation
1932Paramount sells back its shares of CBS
1934Gulf+Western is founded as the Michigan Bumper Corporation
1935Paramount Publix Corporation renamed to Paramount Pictures
1936National Amusements is founded as Northeast Theater Corporation
1938CBS acquires Columbia Records
1950Desilu is founded and CBS distributes its television programs
1952CBS creates the CBS Television Film Sales division
1958CBS Television Film Sales renamed to CBS Films
1966Gulf+Western acquires Paramount
1967Gulf+Western acquires Desilu and renames it Paramount Television (now CBS Studios)
1968CBS Films renamed to CBS Enterprises
1970CBS Enterprises renamed to Viacom
1971Viacom is spun off from CBS
1987National Amusements acquires Viacom
1988CBS sells Columbia Records to Sony
1989Gulf+Western renamed to Paramount Communications
1994Viacom acquires Paramount Communications
1995Westinghouse acquires CBS
1997Westinghouse renamed to CBS Corporation
2000Viacom acquires UPN and CBS Corporation
2005Viacom splits into second CBS Corporation and Viacom
2006CBS Corporation shuts down UPN and replaces it with The CW
2017CBS Corporation sells CBS Radio to Entercom (now Audacy)
2019CBS Corporation and Viacom re-merge as ViacomCBS
2022ViacomCBS renamed to Paramount Global
2024Skydance Media and Paramount Global agree to merge

CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainment Group division of Paramount Global and is one of the company's three flagship subsidiaries, along with namesake Paramount Pictures and MTV.

Headquartered at the CBS Building in New York City and being part of the "Big Three" television networks, CBS has major production facilities and operations at the CBS Broadcast Center and the headquarters of owner Paramount at One Astor Plaza (both also in that city) and Television City and the CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles. It is sometimes referred to as the Eye Network, after the company's trademark symbol of an eye (which has been in use since October 20, 1951),[1] and also the Tiffany Network, which alludes to the perceived high quality of its programming during the tenure of William S. Paley (and can also refer to some of CBS's first demonstrations of color television, which were held in the former Tiffany and Company Building in New York City in 1950).[2][3]


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  1. ^ "Slanguage Dictionary: E". Variety. February 20, 2013. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Krell, David (May 10, 2015). "The Man Behind the Tiffany Network". David Krell. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  3. ^ "Westinghouse Bids for Role In the Remake: CBS Deal Advances TV's Global Reach". The New York Times. August 2, 1995. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.