What CBS News does

CBS News is the news and information division of Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA), founded in 1927 and headquartered in New York with 10,000+ employees. It produces flagship broadcast programs including CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, Face the Nation, and CBS Sunday Morning, alongside digital and free-streaming properties such as CBS News 24/7 and the recently acquired The Free Press. Distribution spans the CBS broadcast network, Paramount+ streaming, CBS Sports Network cable, and 14+ local O&O stations across major US markets (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh/KDKA-TV, Atlanta, and others). Content reaches consumers through cbsnews.com, mobile apps on iOS/Android, social channels (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X), podcasts, and email newsletters.

The underlying technology stack combines a linear broadcast infrastructure with a digital/streaming platform — the network has been deploying AR/VR studio technology (immersive walls, green environments for real-time graphics) across local stations to differentiate visual presentation. CBS also operates a content-sharing partnership with BBC News (signed 2017) for international coverage and a long-running structural partnership with the NFL ($2.1 billion annual rights fee, reportedly renegotiating upward toward $3 billion) and UFC (seven-year, $7.7 billion streaming deal with Paramount). Revenue is overwhelmingly advertising-driven ($362 million in 2025 news-division ad revenue), supplemented by subscription/streaming distribution economics via Paramount+, programming licensing (e.g., $15 million from Byron Allen for the former Late Show slot), and broadcast-fee flows from sports rights. Under new owner Skydance Media (acquired Paramount for approximately $8 billion, completed August 2025), CBS News has undergone rapid leadership turnover — Bari Weiss was appointed Editor-in-Chief in October 2025 and has implemented layoffs affecting more than 6% of the workforce, shut down CBS News Radio, and restructured 60 Minutes with multiple high-profile correspondent departures.

Name

CBS News

Legal name

CBS Interactive Inc.

Website

https://cbsnews.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

CBS News is the news and information division of Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA), producing broadcast programs (CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes, CBS Mornings, Face the Nation), the CBS News 24/7 free streaming channel, and digital properties including The Free Press — distributed across broadcast, Paramount+, cable, and 14+ local stations to a US mass audience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast News

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

National Broadcast News Networks (MPABAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

24/7 National & International News Channels (MPABAIAA), Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Broadcast news
• News journalism
• Streaming news
• Investigative reporting
• Sports broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: CBS generates substantial advertising revenue from broadcast, streaming, and cable properties. For the 2025-26 season, CBS generated $902 million in NFL advertising revenue, with total NFL media partner ad sales reaching approximately $6 billion.
2. Broadcast Rights: CBS holds major sports broadcasting rights including NFL packages and college sports. UFC CEO Dana White claims the NFL renegotiated with CBS after UFC secured a $7.7 billion streaming deal from Paramount, raising questions about NFL broadcast fees.
3. News Division Advertising: CBS News generated $362 million in advertising revenue in 2025.
4. Broadcast/Cable Distribution: Content distributed through CBS broadcast network, Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and local affiliate stations.
5. Programming Licensing: CBS leased late-night programming hours to Byron Allen for $15 million as replacement for Stephen Colbert's 'The Late Show'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CBS News produces and distributes news content across broadcast television (CBS Network), streaming (CBS News 24/7, Paramount+), digital (cbsnews.com, mobile apps), and cable (CBS Sports Network). It offers flagship news programs including CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings, 60 Minutes, Face the Nation, and 48 Hours, alongside major sports broadcasting rights (NFL, NCAA, WNBA). The division operates free, ad-supported news services reaching U.S. audiences through affiliate stations and digital platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CBS News 24/7: Anchored streaming news service available free to everyone with internet access.
• CBS News Confirmed
• CBS News Investigates
• CBS News MoneyWatch

Products and services

• CBS News 24/7
• 60 Minutes
• CBS Evening News
• CBS Mornings
• Face the Nation
• 48 Hours
• The Free Press
• CBS News Podcasts and Newsletters
• CBS News Mobile App

Quantifiable outcome

• 6.74 million viewers for Stephen Colbert's final episode, most-watched in show's 30-year history
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Survivor (TV Show)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026E.l.f. Beauty partnered with CBS's Survivor to launch the 'e.l.f.ie Advantage' vignette series and special edition product bundle, using entertainment-led marketing to reach prime-time TV audiences.
• Byron Allen (Comics Unleashed)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 May 2026CBS leased its late-night programming hours to Byron Allen for $15 million, with his show 'Comics Unleashed' filling the time slot previously occupied by Stephen Colbert's 'The Late Show'. CBS claims this transformed the time slot from a $40 million annual loss into a profitable position.
• Lee Mendelson Film ProductionsminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 May 2026CBS paid a licensing fee for using the Peanuts theme song 'Linus and Lucy' during Stephen Colbert's final episode. Lee Mendelson Film Productions donated the proceeds to World Central Kitchen.
• NFLcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025CBS holds major NFL broadcast rights as part of a multi-billion dollar deal. The NFL's $2.1 billion annual deal with CBS is under renegotiation following Skydance's acquisition of Paramount, with initial reports suggesting CBS would boost its annual fee to $3 billion.
• UFCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025UFC signed a seven-year, $7.7 billion streaming deal with Paramount in 2025. The UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House was broadcast on both CBS and Paramount+, with approximately 80 million Paramount+ subscribers and 85,000 attending a free watch party.
• BBC NewscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017CBS News has a content-sharing partnership with BBC News signed in 2017, allowing for international news coverage collaboration. The partnership has prompted nervousness within BBC over whether CBS News editor Bari Weiss's editorial agenda conflicts with BBC's impartiality standards.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NBC News: Direct competitor as one of the Big Three U.S. broadcast television news divisions, operating NBC Nightly News, TODAY, Meet the Press, and a streaming presence on Peacock — comparable in audience, distribution footprint, and ad-revenue model.
• ABC News: Direct peer as the third member of the Big Three U.S. broadcast news networks, with Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and 20/20 — competing for the same morning, evening, and primetime news audiences as CBS.
• CNN: Direct competitor in 24/7 cable and streaming news, with CNN International, CNN10, and a streaming offering — overlapping with CBS News 24/7 in audience and ad-supported distribution.
• Fox News Channel: Direct competitor in U.S. cable and digital news, dominating the political-news segment and competing for the same advertising dollars and partisan audience share as CBS News.
• MSNBC: Direct competitor in the U.S. cable news category, with significant overlap in breaking news, political coverage, and streaming — competing for the same political-ad and cable-distribution dollars as CBS News.
• NPR: Direct peer in U.S. national news radio and digital news, with comparable breadth of breaking news, political coverage, and podcast distribution — and the leader in the public/nonprofit radio space that CBS News Radio competed with.

Broad incumbents

• PBS News: Public-broadcasting incumbent with PBS NewsHour, Frontline, and local station reach. Overlaps with CBS News in serious journalism and government-affairs coverage, but funded through member stations and underwriting rather than commercial advertising.

Regional players

• BBC News: International news counterpart with which CBS News has a content-sharing partnership since 2017. Comparable in global news-gathering capability and brand prestige, though primarily serving UK and Commonwealth audiences.

Emerging players

• The New York Times: Digital-first news competitor overlapping CBS News in breaking news, politics, and investigations, with a much larger subscription base. Represents the structural shift from broadcast to digital news that CBS News is trying to defend against.
• The Washington Post: National digital and print news competitor covering politics, investigations, and breaking news — directly competing for digital news subscribers and political-adjacent audiences that overlap with CBS News' core demo.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cbsnews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/CBSNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/CBSNews
• Instagraminstagram.com/cbsnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cbs-news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CBS News