In 1952, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) formed an in-house television production unit, CBS Productions, as well as facilities in the newly established Television City in the Fairfax District, Los Angeles in Westside.

Also formed was CBS Television Film Sales (later known as CBS Films) as the distributor of off-network and first-run syndicated programming to local television stations in the United States and abroad.

The company became the television division of Paramount Pictures Corporation in July, retaining the Desilu name until the end of that year.

In 1995, Viacom launched the United Paramount Network (UPN) with Chris-Craft Industries.

[5] On December 31, 2005, as the CBS/Viacom split took effect, CBS inherited Paramount's television program library, with the second incarnation of Viacom keeping Paramount's films, the MTV Networks and the BET Networks.

[7] On May 17, 2009, the Paramount name was dropped after a 3+1⁄2-year loan of its use from sister company Viacom, forming CBS Television Studios.

[8] National Amusements retained majority control of both CBS and the second Viacom.

In the past, Paramount Television produced shows for all networks, but especially had a good relationship with ABC (much as Universal Television had a good relationship with eventual sister network NBC).

Instead, sister company Showtime Entertainment handles in-house productions for the network.

[12] For the first time in nearly fourteen years, Paramount Global encompasses the Paramount Pictures film studio, the current incarnation of its television division, and CBS's production studio under one umbrella.