CBS Television Distribution


CBS Television Distribution is an American television distribution company owned by the ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group, a unit of ViacomCBS. It was formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment. The division, the main distribution arm of CBS Television Studios, the CBS and CW television networks, and other ViacomCBS television divisions, was formed on September 26, 2006 by CBS Corporation and was headed by Roger King, the CEO of King World until his death in 2007.

Background

The company handles distribution rights to acquired series, mini-series, and made-for-TV films from the Paramount Television libraries, and series, mini-series, and made-for-TV films from the CBS television libraries, along with ViacomCBS' cable networks and television studios. CBS also handles the TV rights to much of its own theatrical films. The company formerly distributed the film libraries from Paramount Pictures and Republic Pictures, among others. The company is also responsible for international television distribution rights to series by Rysher Entertainment including certain HBO series through its CBS Studios International division, and advertising sales representative for Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury division.
This would mark the sixth distribution name for CBS as CBS Television Film Sales was the first, CBS Films, Inc. was the second, CBS Enterprises was the third, Eyemark Entertainment was the fourth, and CBS Paramount Domestic Television was the fifth.
The current moniker for CTD's overseas distribution arm is CBS Studios International. Its predecessors were CBS Broadcast International and CBS Paramount International Television.

History

John Nogawski in 2012 left his position as president of CBS Television Distribution. Thus Armando Nuñez, president of CBS Studios International, added responsibility for the division as president of CBS Global Distributions Group.
With a growing international syndication business, CBS looked to split the group. In early July 2016, CBS hired Paul Franklin, formerly executive vice president and general sales manager for Twentieth Television syndication arm and MyNetwork TV, as head of CBS Television Distribution with Nuñez returning to just being president of CBS Studios International.
In October 2018, unit president Paul Franklin retired and chief content licensing officer Scott Koondel stepped down for a production deal with CBS. On October 30, 2018, Armando Nuñez was named CBS Corporation chief content licensing officer and CBS Global Distribution Group president and chief executive officer while continuing in his CBS Studios International post.
In 2019, CBS Television Distribution signed an ad sales deal with Debmar-Mercury, replacing 20th Television. CBS Television Distribution Media Sales is now responsible for the advertising sales for the Lionsgate/Revolution Studios libraries, Family Feud, and The Wendy Williams Show. In June 2019, CBS Television Distribution announced that it would launch Dabl, a life style broadcasting network on September 9, 2019. By 2019, Viacom and CBS merged into ViacomCBS, making CBS Television Distribution as the official television distribution label of Paramount Pictures, CBS, and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, distributing original content from Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, and Paramount Network, as well as other networks owned by ViacomCBS. After ViacomCBS bought a 49% stake in Miramax, CBS Television Distribution became the official television distributon label of Miramax.

Current programming

First-run syndication

Absorbed companies