Dec 20, 2019 Company News
Top 10 in 2019: A Truly Momentous Year
ViacomCBS had a landmark 2019 by making major distribution deals and topping the viewership charts.
It's time to celebrate some of the incredible achievements made across our brands and businesses around the newly combined ViacomCBS. There were big moves, major milestones, and exciting accomplishments—and we look forward to the new opportunities ahead.
In honor of the year that was, here's a roundup of the top 10 moments from 2019 across our portfolio.
We Topped The Viewership Charts
We remained #1 in broadcast and cable viewership. CBS Television Network was the most-watched network for the 11th consecutive year, with #1 programs in drama, comedy, late-night, news and daytime. On cable, Comedy Central had the #1 comedy, Paramount Network the #1 new drama, VH1 the #1 reality series and Nick Jr. the #1 preschool program. Internationally, Telefe remained the most-watched network in Argentina.
The Mountain Delivered!
We kept our promise and returned Paramount to profitability for the first time in four years with our new, balanced film slate an robust TV production strategy, driving big and small screen success. Our hits included Rocketman and Bumblebee. Up next: 16 exciting releases in 2020, from A Quiet Place Part II to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run to Top Gun: Maverick.
We Grew Our Streaming Portfolio
CBS All Access and Showtime's streaming service had a big year, with subscribers up 62% through September. We also acquired, integrated, and scaled Pluto TV, launched BET+, expanded Noggin and extended Paramount+ internationally. With nearly 11M total SVOD subscribers, we now reach more consumers across more platforms and price points than ever before.
We Made Major Distributions & Ad Deals
The strength of our brands, content , and reach drove strong partnerships with distributors and advertisers. We achieved major distribution deals, including with AT&T, gained carriage on vMVPDs and mobile, and had a market-leading Upfront.
We Thrived As A Content Powerhouse
Our content licensing and studio production flourished, as we fed the demand for premium content on both third-party and our own platforms. From NCIS and Star Trek to South Park and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, we continued to produce hits and capitalize on our iconic IP. Our massive library - and more than 750 series ordered to or in production - creates a huge opportunity going forward.
We Scored Major Awards
CBS Television Network won multiple Emmys for hits like The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Young and the Restless, and CBS Sunday Mornings. VH1's RuPaul's Drag Race earned four Emmys and Network 10 picked up multiple Logies in Australia for hits like Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders. Many of our brands were also nominated for upcoming awards, including two Golden Globe nominations for Showtime's The Loudest Voice. Plus, Simon & Schuster received numerous literary honors, including a Pulitzer Prize for David W. Blight's biography, Frederick Douglass.
We Stayed Ahead of The Game
We strengthened our leadership in sports by airing some of the most-watched events of the year, including the Super Bowl, NCAA Men's Basketball Championship and the Masters.
CBS Sports and CBS All Access won the bidding for the rights to air the prestigious UEFA Champions league, including UEFA Europa League, and UEFA European Conference League, And Pluto TV launched new NFL and MLS channels, bringing sports to free-streaming TV in a big way.
We Gave Back On A Global Level
Our talent, time and passion inspired good all around the world. Thousands of employees made a difference in their communities at our annual day of service. We also engaged in impactful programs like UP Mentoring, Reel Impact, and Season of Giving and used our airtime to elevate important causes and continued to support military veterans and their families.
We Sparked Our Culture
Through our expanded communications, diversity & inclusion and HR programs, we strengthened our culture and engaged our employees, partners , and talent along the way. We came together for our first global Spark, celebrated the power of inclusion with Global Inclusion Week and our diverse employee resource groups continued to enrich the ViacomCBS employee experience.
We Became ViacomCBS
We created a global content powerhouse, driven by distinct brands, streaming services, worldwide production capabilities, distribution, publishing, merchandise, live events, and more. Together, we now engage billions of people from every generation with content from every genre, everywhere they want to experience it.
