What CBS Studios does

CBS Studios is a major US television production company and a division of Paramount Global, producing scripted drama, comedy, and animated series for broadcast, streaming, and international distribution. The studio's portfolio includes flagship franchises (NCIS, FBI, Star Trek), hit comedies (Elsbeth, Ghosts, The Neighborhood), new launches (CIA, Sheriff Country, Cupertino, Fire Country), and animated content via the consolidated Nickelodeon Animation Studios label. Content is produced for the CBS broadcast network and Paramount+ as captive channels, with selected titles licensed to third-party platforms including Netflix (Little House on the Prairie reboot) and Amazon Prime Video (Odd Jobs animated series).

The studio's business model is licensing- and production-fee-based: CBS Studios develops and produces series, retaining underlying IP rights, and licenses broadcast and streaming rights to CBS Network, Paramount+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video. Revenue and ownership flow through Paramount Global's consolidated reporting, and CBS Studios does not publish standalone financials. Following Skydance's $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global in 2024 and the pending Warner Bros. Discovery merger, the studio operates under new corporate ownership while maintaining relationships with multiple showrunners through overall deals (Robert and Michelle King, Matt Lopez, David J. North) and talent via first-look agreements.

CBS Studios has approximately 1,001-5,000 employees headquartered at Radford Studio Center in Studio City, Los Angeles, with physical production supplemented by international filming (e.g., Montreal). The studio competes with other major US scripted producers (Universal Television, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros. Television) and is differentiated by its franchise depth (NCIS, FBI, Star Trek), guaranteed distribution through affiliated platforms, and recent consolidation of animation capabilities under the Nickelodeon Animation Studios label.

Name

CBS Studios

Legal name

CBS Studios

Website

https://cbssc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CBS Studios is a Paramount Global division producing 70+ scripted and animated television series for CBS broadcast, Paramount+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video, anchored by franchises including NCIS, FBI, Star Trek, and Elsbeth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Studio City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. TV Production and Licensing: CBS Studios produces television content and licenses broadcasting rights to CBS network and streaming platforms including Paramount+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video
2. Broadcasting Rights: Revenue generated from licensing shows to CBS network for broadcast television distribution
3. Streaming Platform Content Deals: Production agreements with streaming platforms like Paramount+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video for exclusive content distribution

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CBS Studios is a major television production studio that develops, produces, and licenses scripted series, animated series, and franchise extensions for broadcast, streaming, and international platforms. The studio produces content for CBS network, Paramount+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and other outlets, with flagship franchises including NCIS, FBI, Star Trek, Ghosts, and Elsbeth. It also operates Nickelodeon Animation Studios as a label for children's animated content.

Product overview

CBS Studios is a television production company producing a diverse portfolio of scripted and animated series across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. The studio's product portfolio includes flagship franchise properties (NCIS, FBI, Star Trek), original comedies (Elsbeth, Ghosts, Eternally Yours), dramas (CIA, Sheriff Country, Fire Country, Cupertino), animated content (Odd Jobs for Prime Video, Among Us for Paramount+), and legacy reboots (Little House on the Prairie, Galaxy Quest). Nickelodeon Animation Studios operates as a label within CBS Studios. The studio produces content for CBS network, Paramount+, Netflix, and Prime Video, and has overall deals with various showrunners including Robert and Michelle King, Matt Lopez, and David J. North.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nickelodeon Animation Studios: Animation studio producing children's programming including SpongeBob, Avatar, and related franchises
• Star Trek (franchise)

Products and services

• Little House on the Prairie Reboot Netflix reboot of the classic series produced by CBS Studios and Anonymous Content, focusing on women's roles in American frontier settlement and Osage Indigenous perspectives.
• Among Us Animated Series Animated television adaptation of Innersloth's social deduction game, produced by CBS Studios for Paramount+.
• NCIS: New York NCIS franchise spinoff featuring LL Cool J reprising his role as Sam Hanna alongside Scott Caan, with a 20-episode order on CBS.
• Eternally Yours Single-camera vampire family comedy from CBS Studios, starring Ed Weeks and Allegra Edwards, picked up to series by CBS.
• Flint Drama series starring Matt LeBlanc as a burnt-out LAPD detective, produced by CBS Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer Television.
• CIA FBI spinoff series starring Tom Ellis as CIA Agent Colin Glass, featuring crossovers with the FBI franchise, produced by CBS Studios.
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Star Trek franchise series produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment, streamed on Paramount+, canceled after Season 2.
• Elsbeth Hit CBS comedy-drama series produced by CBS Studios, created by Robert and Michelle King, renewed for Season 4.
• Sheriff Country CBS drama series from showrunner Matt Lopez under his overall deal with CBS Studios.
• Fire Country

Quantifiable outcome

• CIA Season 2 renewal after 8.4M multiplatform viewers for premiere
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Anonymous ContentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2026Co-producer with CBS Studios on Netflix's Little House on the Prairie reboot. Anonymous Content serves as production partner on the series.
• Fake EmpireminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage's production company attached to write and executive produce Clueless sequel series under Fake Empire banner with CBS Studios.
• Lionsgate TelevisioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Co-producer with CBS Studios on Ghosts series, alongside BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions.
• BBC Studios Los Angeles ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Production partner with CBS Studios and Lionsgate Television on the Ghosts comedy series.
• Jerry Bruckheimer TelevisioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Co-producer with CBS Studios on Matt LeBlanc drama series Flint.
• wiipminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026Production company for Netflix's The Corrections limited series; Paul Lee executive produces for wiip.
• Universal TelevisioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026Production company producing CIA series alongside Wolf Entertainment and CBS Studios.
• Wolf EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026Production company co-producing FBI spinoff CIA with Universal Television and CBS Studios.
• TitmousecoreTechnology or Integration · 14 January 2026Animation studio producing Odd Jobs animated series for CBS Studios with Prime Video distribution.
• Secret HideoutcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2025Alex Kurtzman's production company co-producing Star Trek: Starfleet Academy with CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.
• Roddenberry EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2025Production company associated with Star Trek franchise continuing partnership with CBS Studios for Starfleet Academy series.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Universal Television: Universal Television is a major scripted TV studio co-producing CIA with CBS Studios and Wolf Entertainment. Both operate as vertically-tied studio arms of large media conglomerates producing content for broadcast, cable, and streaming, and competing for the same showrunner and IP deals.
• Warner Bros. Television Studios: Warner Bros. Television is a leading scripted television studio producing shows for HBO/Max, The CW, and external buyers. It is a direct competitor in the same scripted-TV production space and is the studio most likely to be combined with CBS Studios under the pending Paramount/WBD merger.
• 20th Television (Disney): 20th Television is the Disney-owned scripted studio producing hits like ABC's flagship dramas and Hulu/Disney+ originals. It directly competes with CBS Studios for broadcast time slots, streaming commissions, and showrunner overall deals across the same buyer set.
• Sony Pictures Television: Sony Pictures Television is a major independent scripted studio producing content for multiple networks and streamers without owning a US broadcast network. Comparable in operating model to CBS Studios' third-party distribution arm and a frequent co-producer on rival franchise shows.
• Lionsgate Television: Lionsgate Television co-produces Ghosts with CBS Studios and BBC Studios. It is a comparable independent scripted TV studio with a similar slate size, mixing broadcast licensing with streaming and international sales.
• ABC Signature: ABC Signature is Disney's streaming-focused scripted TV studio producing Hulu and Disney+ originals. Directly comparable as a sister scripted arm competing for the same streaming commissions that CBS Studios secures from Paramount+, Netflix, and Amazon.
• Paramount Television Studios: Paramount Television Studios is the sibling studio within Paramount Global producing content for third-party streamers. It is a direct internal peer that shares parent-company resources, executive talent, and distribution priorities with CBS Studios.

Broad incumbents

• Amazon MGM Studios: Amazon MGM Studios is both a buyer of CBS Studios content (Odd Jobs on Prime Video) and an increasingly large in-house producer of scripted TV. It represents the broader platform-incumbent trend that competes with CBS Studios for talent while also serving as a distribution customer.

Emerging players

• Anonymous Content: Anonymous Content is co-producing the Little House on the Prairie reboot with CBS Studios for Netflix. It is a comparable premium scripted production company of similar scale, increasingly partnering with major studios like CBS Studios on streaming originals.
• Titmouse: Titmouse is the animation studio producing Odd Jobs for CBS Studios and Prime Video. It is a relevant peer in CBS Studios' expanding animation vertical alongside the in-house Nickelodeon Animation Studios label.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Studios