| Fate | Merged into Paramount Domestic Television |
|---|---|
| Successor | Paramount Domestic Television (1995-2006) CBS Paramount Domestic Television (2006-2007) CBS Television Distribution (2007-present) |
| Founded | 1971 1973 (spun off) |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Products | Television Production |
| Parent | Viacom (1986-1995) CBS Corporation (2006-present, only distributions rights) |
Viacom Enterprises was a television distribution company formed in 1971 as the successor to CBS Enterprises, and spun off in 1973 due to now-repealed FCC bylaws prohibiting networks from syndicating their own shows.
Its purpose upon formation was to distribute the classic CBS library, which also included the pre-1960 library of Desilu Productions.
It distributed other series as well, among them All in the Family, the Carsey-Werner Productions library, and for a number of years distributed the MTM Enterprises library until MTM acquired Jim Victory Television in 1980. It also distributed the first 4 seasons of The Montel Williams Show, the pre-1984 New World Pictures library, most of the Cannon Films library, a majority of the Elvis Presley films originally released by Paramount Pictures, the FNN-produced program, Business This Morning and the CNBC-produced program, This Morning's Business.
In 1974, it formed Viacom Productions to produce first-run television series airing on the major television networks.
In 1986, the company became a subsidiary of the newly-reincorporated Viacom Inc., after a takeover by National Amusements.
In 1994, Viacom acquired Paramount Pictures. As a result, Viacom Enterprises was merged into Paramount Television's distribution arm, Paramount Domestic Television.
Today, many of the shows previously distributed by Viacom Enterprises are now distributed by CBS Television Distribution, while most of the theatrical output (which had included the Cannon Films and Elvis Presley libraries) are now handled by Trifecta Entertainment and Media under license from Paramount (films either produced in-house by CBS or had ancillary rights revert to CBS in later years are still distributed by CTD). However, worldwide television rights (outside of the United States and Canada) to the Cannon library belongs to MGM International Television Distribution.
There are exceptions however: