[9] After receiving his MBA, Bakish joined the management and technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton in 1990, and rose to become a partner in its media and entertainment practice.
[22][19][23][13] In January 2007, Bakish became the president of MTV Networks International (MTVNI)[24] responsible for financial and management, overseeing MTV Networks operations outside the U.S.[23] He immediately restructured MTVNI by cutting 8% of the workforce, merging some overseas units with the UK business and devolving responsibilities for Latin American operations to new offices across the region.
[29] In all, VIMN operations at the time of his appointment consisted of 145 television channels in 160 countries and territories, plus related digital properties and consumer products businesses.
[26][38][5] Under his leadership, the Paramount Channel was launched, offering movies and television shows in Europe, Latin America and Russia.
[26][37] He oversaw the expansion of networks such as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Spike to an increasing number of foreign markets,[26][37] and helped orchestrate the acquisition of Channel 5 in the UK and Telefe in Argentina.
This consisted of focusing on Viacom's six flagship brands: BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Paramount; revitalizing content and talent; deepening distributor and advertiser partnerships to drive traditional revenue; increasing digital offerings, consumer products and live experiences; and optimizing and energizing the organization.
[66][67][68][69][70] In addition, later that June, Bakish announced that Viacom will produce some new series exclusively for Netflix, beginning with Nickelodeon-related content.
[75] Bakish retained the role of CEO when CBS Corporation and Viacom reunited under a single company to form Paramount Global (then known as ViacomCBS), which closed on December 4, 2019.
[77] In December 2023, Bakish and David Zaslav discussed the possibility of Paramount Global merging with Warner Bros.
[78] TD Cowen analyst, Doug Creutz, told The Hollywood Reporter: “We have a very hard time believing the current FTC/DOJ, which has been very aggressive in combating industry consolidation, would give this deal a pass.”[79] However, in February 2024, the discussion was abandoned.