CBS

Broadcast television

US broadcast network and owned local stations airing entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports, including the NFL, to viewers nationwide.

Broadcast televisionSince 1927

How it started

The company's original root.

1927the year it started

CBS began as a radio network in 1927 and, as CBS Corporation, absorbed Viacom in 2019, the company that became Paramount Global and, from August 2025, Paramount Skydance.

How big it is

How big is CBS?

29Owned TV stationsFY2025

7Of the top 10 series on TV2026/27

19.6MNFL on CBS average viewers2026

How it makes money Q3 2026

Sells ads, and collects fees from TV distributors and affiliated stations.

Advertising
Retransmission and affiliation fees
Content licensing

Key moments

1927Goes on air as a radio network
1929William Paley buys and renames it
1995Sold to Westinghouse
1999Viacom agrees to buy CBS
2019CBS and Viacom merge again

Its place in Skydance

Skydance's broadcast anchor.

The CBS Network and CBS Stations lead Skydance's TV segment and feed shows, news and sports into Paramount+.

Who it competes with

NNBC

ABCFFox

What Skydance does not disclose

CBS Network or CBS Stations revenue (reported inside the TV Media segment)
Number of affiliated stations in the latest filings
CBS operating profit

Questions

CBS: questions and answers

What is CBS?

US broadcast network and owned local stations airing entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports, including the NFL, to viewers nationwide.

Who owns CBS?

CBS is owned by Skydance. The company's original root.

How big is CBS?

Owned TV stations: 29 (FY2025). Of the top 10 series on TV: 7 (2026/27). NFL on CBS average viewers: 19.6M (2026).

How does CBS make money?

Sells ads, and collects fees from TV distributors and affiliated stations. Main sources: Advertising, Retransmission and affiliation fees and Content licensing.