Paramount
Mass media conglomerate
Formerly ViacomCBS. Viacom and CBS merged in 2019 and changed its name from ViacomCBS to Paramount in 2022. Brands include CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Paramount, and Showtime. Acquired the Ten Network in Australia in 2019. Privately owned cinema chain operator National Amusements owns 80% of voting power, but only 10% equity. In 2025 Skydance Media will acquire National Amusements and merge with Paramount.

Overall

Owned USA
Rating C
About the Ratings
Paramount Global
USA

Company Assessment

(Last updated Mar 2024)
Paramount Global
Praise
CDP Climate Change score of B
In 2023, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change score of B.
Source: CDP (2023)
100% on Corporate Equality Index
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
JUST Capital ranking
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2024 rankings the public identified 20 issues, which are organised under the headings Workers, Communities, Customers, Shareholders and Environment. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 228th of 937 companies, and 2nd of 14 Media companies.
Criticism
36/100 S&P Global ESG Score
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 36/100 in the in the Media category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 21 Oct 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
CEO Pay Ratio of 291:1
In 2022 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$110,221. The CEO was paid 291 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Information
Excessive CEO pay
As You Sow's 2023 report, 'The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs', reveals the 100 most overpaid CEOs from USA's 500 largest public companies (as determined by the S&P 500 list). This company's CEO, Robert M. Bakish came in at number 43 on the list, having been paid US$20,035,212 in 2022. According to the report, "Most CEOs have come to be grossly overpaid, and that overpayment is harmful to the companies, the shareholders, the customers, the other employees, the economy, and society as a whole."
Newsweek Green Ranking 2017
Viacom received a score of 38.1/100 and CBS received 10.6/100 in the Newsweek Green Ranking 2017, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor. Viacom and CBS merged in 2019.
Mum-friendly employer
This company was named in Seramount's 100 Best Companies 2022 for being a mum-friendly employer. Listed companies provide inclusive benefits for families, including paid gender-neutral parental leave, phase-back programs, bereavement leave after miscarriage, reimbursement for fertility expenses, and increased mental health benefits for employees.
ESG claims
This company has been publishing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reports since 2019, which describe goals and progress across three main areas: On-Screen Content and Social Impact, Workforce and Culture, and Sustainable Production and Operations.
CDP Forests score of C
In 2023, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts towards removing commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation from its direct operations and supply chains. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Forests score of C.
Source: CDP (2023)
ICTI Ethical Toy Program member
Viacom is a member of the ICTI Ethical Toy Program, the global standard for ethical toy manufacture. The Ethical Toy Program focuses on social sustainability issues which impact well-being of workers involved in toy manufacture globally. However human rights groups including SOMO and China Labor Watch have criticised the Program, with investigators finding serious labour rights violations occurring in ICTI-certified factories.

Company Details

Type:
Public company
Founded:
2019
Revenue:
28.6 billion USD (2021)
Employees:
22,965 (2021)
Subsidiaries:
Network Ten Pty Ltd
Commercial television network
Owned by American media conglomerate Paramount since Dec 2019.

Contact Details

Address:
New York, New York, USA
Website:
www.paramount.com

Products / Brands

Paramount
Paramount+ Video Streaming
Paramount ANZ
10 play Video Streaming