CBS Studios

Corporate brand

An American television production studio that develops, produces, owns, licenses and distributes scripted, unscripted, animated and franchise-based programming for broadcast networks, cable channels, streaming services and international markets.

Last updated October 24, 2026

AI crawler reads

No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.

Overview

CBS Studios is a major American television production and distribution studio whose roots extend through the broadcast businesses of CBS, Paramount, and the former Viacom. It develops, produces, and distributes scripted and unscripted programming for CBS, Paramount+, other Paramount-owned services, outside broadcasters, and international licensees. The studio is best known for long-running franchises and commercially significant series including NCIS, Star Trek, CSI, The Good Wife, The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Survivor, and Ghosts. The modern studio was created in 2006 when CBS separated from Viacom. The television production operation was initially branded CBS Paramount Television, reflecting CBS's ownership of Paramount's television production assets after the corporate split. In 2009, the Paramount name was removed and the operation became CBS Television Studios. The name was shortened to CBS Studios in 2020 as CBS Corporation and Viacom recombined to form ViacomCBS, later renamed Paramount Global. CBS Studios operates differently from the CBS broadcast network. The network commissions and schedules programs, while the studio supplies production, licensing, distribution, and rights-management capabilities. In practice, the two businesses have historically worked closely, but CBS Studios has also produced programs for other platforms and has participated in the increasingly broad market for streaming commissions. The studio's library includes both current productions and rights inherited from earlier CBS and Paramount television operations. Its business covers serialized and episodic scripted drama, comedy, animation, reality and competition formats, limited series, specials, and franchise-based entertainment. Production is conducted through CBS Studios itself and through affiliated or partner production companies. The studio has also been central to the expansion of Star Trek on Paramount+, with series such as Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Following the 2019 recombination of CBS and Viacom, the studio became part of the enlarged ViacomCBS group. The company adopted the Paramount Global name in 2022, placing CBS Studios within a broader portfolio that includes Paramount Pictures, Paramount+, MTV Entertainment Studios, Nickelodeon, Showtime, and other media businesses. CBS Studios remains an active television studio rather than a separately listed company.

History

CBS Studios is the successor to a series of television production organizations connected with CBS and Paramount. Its immediate corporate origin lies in the 2006 separation of CBS from Viacom. In that transaction, CBS retained the CBS broadcast network and related television production capabilities, while the remaining Viacom businesses retained Paramount Pictures, MTV, Nickelodeon, and other entertainment assets. The television studio created around the CBS operation was branded CBS Paramount Television, combining the CBS identity with the Paramount television production name. The Paramount reference was removed in 2009, when the business became CBS Television Studios. The new name emphasized the studio's relationship with the CBS network while preserving its role as a separate production and distribution operation. During this period the studio supplied a large volume of programming to CBS, including procedural dramas, comedies, reality formats, and franchise series. It also retained the ability to license programming to outside networks and international buyers. The studio's library and commercial profile were shaped by several major production relationships and franchises. CBS-developed or CBS-distributed programs such as CSI, NCIS, The Good Wife, The Big Bang Theory, and its successor Young Sheldon became important parts of the television marketplace. The studio also participated in the continued development of Star Trek television programming, building on the franchise's Paramount and CBS history. The television business increasingly involved co-productions, international licensing, digital distribution, and later direct-to-consumer streaming services. In 2019, CBS Corporation and Viacom agreed to recombine. The resulting company, initially called ViacomCBS, reunited the CBS broadcast and studio operations with Paramount's film and television assets. This created a larger content group with networks, film production, television studios, and the Paramount+ streaming service. In 2020, CBS Television Studios was renamed CBS Studios, a shorter identity suited to the combined company's broader distribution strategy. The change also distinguished the studio from Paramount Pictures while acknowledging the shared corporate portfolio. The Paramount+ launch accelerated the studio's involvement in streaming originals. CBS Studios produced or supplied programming for the service, including multiple Star Trek series and other scripted projects, while continuing to make programs for CBS and third-party outlets. The studio therefore became both a traditional broadcast supplier and a component of Paramount Global's vertically integrated content system. Paramount Global adopted its current name in 2022. CBS Studios remained an operating television studio under the Paramount Global umbrella. Its activities include development, physical production, post-production oversight, rights management, domestic distribution, international licensing, and collaboration with affiliated production labels. The business continues to draw on CBS's broadcast heritage while operating in a market where television production is divided among linear networks, streaming platforms, syndication, and international buyers.

2025
Skydance becomes the controlling corporate parent
[7]Skydance Media and Paramount Global Complete Mergerir.paramount.com
The Skydance and Paramount Global combination places CBS Studios within the new Skydance-controlled Paramount entertainment structure.
2020
CBS Television Studios is renamed CBS Studios
[3]CBS Unveils Newly Evolved Brand Identity Across All Divisions and Platformsparamountpressexpress.com
CBS adopts the CBS Studios name as part of a unified brand identity spanning broadcast, cable, streaming and other platforms.
2019
CBS Corporation and Viacom recombine
[7]Skydance Media and Paramount Global Complete Mergerir.paramount.com
The corporate re-merger reconnects CBS Studios with Paramount's broader entertainment and television assets.
2009
The studio becomes CBS Television Studios
[1]CBS Studiosen.wikipedia.org
The Paramount name is removed from the CBS production label, creating CBS Television Studios.
2006
CBS Paramount Television is formed
[1]CBS Studiosen.wikipedia.org
CBS Corporation reorganizes its television production operations under the CBS Paramount Television identity.
2004
David Stapf becomes president of the television studio
[2]CBS Studios Executive Biography: David Stapfparamountpressexpress.com
David Stapf assumes leadership of CBS television studio operations and remains the studio's president through subsequent corporate and brand changes.
1963
CBS Studio Center is established
[1]CBS Studiosen.wikipedia.org
CBS establishes the Studio City production facility that later becomes the principal headquarters of CBS Studios.
1952
CBS establishes an in-house television production unit
[1]CBS Studiosen.wikipedia.org
CBS forms production and distribution operations that become part of the company's long-term television studio lineage.

Products and positioning

A mainstream, franchise-oriented television studio with a strong broadcast heritage and an expanding role in streaming, international production, intellectual-property management and multi-platform distribution.

Scripted television franchise · 2003
NCIS franchise
A long-running procedural franchise centered on naval criminal investigations and related law-enforcement teams. CBS Studios has played a central production and franchise-management role in the original NCIS and its international and historical extensions, including NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai'i, NCIS: Sydney, NCIS: Origins and later spin-off development.
Scripted television franchise · 2000
CSI franchise
A forensic-crime franchise built around scientific investigation, laboratory work and police procedure. Its success helped establish the modern CBS procedural model and generated several series, international adaptations and later revival programming.
Science-fiction franchise · 1966
Star Trek television universe
CBS Studios' major science-fiction franchise includes streaming and broadcast-era television projects set across the Star Trek universe. The modern slate has included Star Trek: Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks and other animated or live-action projects, with production and distribution coordinated through the wider Paramount organization.
Scripted television franchise · 2018
FBI franchise
A connected group of procedural dramas developed by Dick Wolf's Wolf Entertainment and produced in association with CBS Studios and Universal Television. The franchise includes FBI, FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International, with shared characters and crossover-oriented scheduling.
Legal drama · 2009
The Good Wife and The Good Fight
A critically recognized legal-drama franchise following lawyers, political figures and complex professional relationships. The Good Wife was a major CBS-era drama, while The Good Fight extended the characters and themes for a streaming audience.
Comedy franchise · 2007
The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon
A comedy franchise focused on physicists, family relationships and the social lives of highly intelligent characters. The Big Bang Theory became one of CBS's defining modern sitcoms, while Young Sheldon expanded the property through a prequel format.
Unscripted television · 2000
Reality, competition and game-show programming
CBS Studios and affiliated CBS production operations support a broad unscripted portfolio that includes Survivor, The Amazing Race, Big Brother, The Price Is Right, Let's Make a Deal and other competition, daytime and game-show formats. These programs provide recurring schedule franchises and international format value.
Broadcast and streaming series · 2021
Current CBS scripted slate
The studio's current and recent scripted portfolio includes Ghosts, Fire Country, Elsbeth, Matlock, Tracker, NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Sydney, Beyond the Gates and other series commissioned for CBS, Paramount+ or associated distribution platforms.

Controversies

2021
Actress files sexual harassment lawsuit involving The Young and the Restless production
Actress Briana Thomas filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Anthony Morina, CBS Studios, and Sony Pictures Television. She alleges that Morina sexually harassed her and that she was terminated after refusing his advances; these are allegations in the lawsuit, not findings established in the article.
Source
2020
Hollywood Weekly Magazine sues Netflix over Tiger King name
Hollywood Weekly Magazine filed a lawsuit against Netflix and other companies, claiming trademark and copyright infringement, unfair business practices and unjust enrichment over the Tiger King name. The magazine says it coined the nickname and seeks damages and other relief.
Source

2026Star Trek 60th Anniversary Celebrations
United States · International
CBS Studios and Paramount-affiliated platforms supported a year-long celebration of Star Trek's six decades through television promotion, fan events, franchise programming and cross-platform activations.
Outcome. The campaign reinforced Star Trek as one of the group's central global entertainment franchises.
Source
2025CBS Studios at San Diego Comic-Con
United States
CBS Studios promoted the Star Trek universe, Ghosts and NCIS: Tony & Ziva through panels, previews, first looks and fan experiences at Comic-Con International.
Outcome. The campaign supported franchise awareness and used a major fan convention to connect broadcast and streaming properties.
Source
2024Doctor Who and Star Trek Intergalactic Friendship Day
United States
CBS Studios and partners used San Diego Comic-Con to bring the Star Trek and Doctor Who properties together through a themed fan event, an executive and creative conversation, and a temporary exhibition of costumes and props.
Outcome. The initiative expanded Star Trek's convention presence and positioned the franchise within a broader science-fiction fan culture campaign.
Source
2020CBS Unified Brand Identity
United States · International
CBS introduced a redesigned identity across entertainment, news, sports, stations, studios and syndication. The campaign framed CBS as a multi-platform content company and changed CBS Television Studios to CBS Studios.
Outcome. The CBS Studios name became the studio's continuing public identity and replaced CBS Television Studios in corporate and promotional materials.
Source

Brand decisions

2025
Skydance and Paramount Global combinationM&A
Background
Skydance Media and Paramount Global combined their entertainment assets in a transaction intended to create a larger studio, streaming and television group.
Action taken
CBS Studios became part of the Skydance-controlled Paramount corporate structure while continuing to operate under its established brand.
Aftermath
The studio remained a distinct television production label alongside Paramount's other production and distribution businesses.
Source
2024
Expansion of the FBI franchiseproduct_generation
Background
The FBI drama group had become one of CBS's strongest recurring procedural blocks and a significant multi-platform viewing property.
Action taken
CBS renewed FBI, FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International for the 2024–2025 season, with the original FBI receiving a three-season renewal.
Aftermath
The decision extended the franchise's broadcast presence and reinforced CBS Studios' role in continuing connected procedural universes.
Source
2020
Rebranding as CBS StudiosStrategy
Background
CBS wanted its corporate identity to reflect production for broadcast, cable, streaming and emerging platforms rather than a single network outlet.
Action taken
CBS Television Studios was renamed CBS Studios as part of a company-wide brand identity update.
Aftermath
CBS Studios became the continuing name for the production business and was used across programming, publicity and corporate communications.
Source
2019
CBS Corporation and Viacom recombinationM&A
Background
CBS Corporation and Viacom sought to reunite their related broadcast, cable, film, television production and streaming assets.
Action taken
The companies completed their combination on December 4, 2019, creating ViacomCBS.
Aftermath
CBS Studios operated within the larger Paramount-linked entertainment portfolio and gained closer corporate proximity to Paramount's television, film and streaming operations.
Source
2009
Removal of the Paramount nameStrategy
Background
The limited use of the Paramount name in the CBS production identity ended after approximately three and a half years.
Action taken
CBS Paramount Television was rebranded CBS Television Studios.
Aftermath
The CBS Television Studios name remained in use for more than a decade and became associated with the studio's major procedural, comedy and franchise output.
Source
2006
Creation of CBS Paramount TelevisionStrategy
Background
CBS Corporation reorganized its television production operations while retaining the Paramount name through a corporate licensing and brand arrangement.
Action taken
The CBS Paramount Television identity was introduced for the studio, while related distribution operations were separately reorganized.
Aftermath
The arrangement lasted until 2009, when the Paramount name was removed and the studio became CBS Television Studios.
Source

Recent events

2026
CBS Studios promotes Star Trek's 60th anniversary programming[6]CBS Studios Press Releasesparamountpressexpress.com
Campaign · Product generation
CBS and Paramount-affiliated platforms organized anniversary programming and promotional activities around six decades of Star Trek, including franchise events, television promotion and cross-platform celebrations.
2025
CBS Studios presents Star Trek, Ghosts and NCIS: Tony & Ziva at San Diego Comic-Con[6]CBS Studios Press Releasesparamountpressexpress.com
Campaign · Product launch
CBS Studios used Comic-Con International to promote the Star Trek television universe, Ghosts and the Paramount+ series NCIS: Tony & Ziva through panels, previews and fan events.
2025
Skydance becomes the parent company of CBS Studios[7]Skydance Media and Paramount Global Complete Mergerir.paramount.com
M&A · strategy
The combination of Skydance Media and Paramount Global created the new Paramount Skydance corporate structure. CBS Studios continued as a distinct studio brand within the enlarged entertainment group.
2024
CBS renews the FBI drama group[4]CBS Renews All Three FBI Dramas for 2024–2025 Seasonparamountpressexpress.com
Product generation · Other
CBS renewed FBI, FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International for the 2024–2025 season, with the original FBI receiving a longer renewal. The programs were produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television in association with CBS Studios.
2024
CBS renews S.W.A.T. for an eighth season[11]CBS续订《反恐特警组》第八季paramountpressexpress.com
Product generation · Other
CBS renewed S.W.A.T. for the 2024–2025 season after a prior cancellation and reversal. The series was produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with CBS Studios.
2024
CBS announces the 2024–2025 primetime slate[5]CBS Announces Its 2024–2025 Primetime Scheduleparamountpressexpress.com
Product launch · Product generation
The slate included new and returning CBS Studios projects such as Matlock, NCIS: Origins, Tracker, Elsbeth, Fire Country-related development and other scripted and unscripted programming.
2020
CBS Television Studios renamed CBS Studios[3]CBS Unveils Newly Evolved Brand Identity Across All Divisions and Platformsparamountpressexpress.com
Other · strategy
CBS introduced a unified brand identity across its entertainment, news, sports, stations and syndication divisions and renamed CBS Television Studios as CBS Studios. The change emphasized the studio's role in supplying programs for broadcast, cable, streaming and other platforms.
2019
CBS and Viacom complete their corporate re-merger[1]CBS Studiosen.wikipedia.org
M&A · strategy
CBS Corporation and Viacom completed their combination, creating ViacomCBS and bringing CBS Studios and Paramount's television and entertainment assets into one corporate group.

Sources15 sources

Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/cbs-studios · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled