Bob Bakish
Bob Bakish is best known as the former President & CEO of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS), a role he held until his ouster in April 2024. During his tenure, he was a central figure in the media and advertising industry's pivot toward streaming and connected television, steering Paramount+ and Pluto TV as key vehicles for the company's advertising and subscription revenue strategies. His leadership placed Paramount Global at the intersection of traditional broadcast, cable, and the rapidly evolving streaming advertising ecosystem. Bakish rose through the ranks at Viacom, where he spent decades in various operational and international leadership roles before becoming President & CEO of Viacom in 2016. He guided the company through its merger with CBS to form ViacomCBS, and subsequently the rebranding to Paramount Global in 2022. Under his watch, Paramount acquired and scaled Pluto TV into one of the largest free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) platforms in the United States, making him a significant operator in the AVOD and FAST advertising landscape. Bakish was known for championing the value of Paramount's broad content portfolio—spanning CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, and the Paramount film studio—as an advertising and streaming asset. His strategic decisions around bundling, partnerships, and ad-supported tiers shaped how Paramount competed against Netflix, Disney+, and other streaming giants. He departed Paramount Global in April 2024 amid ongoing merger discussions with Skydance Media and broader challenges facing legacy media companies in the streaming era.
Last updated Oct 6, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team
AI-drafted from public sources7 sources cited
- Years in industry
- 30 years
Bio
Bob Bakish is best known as the former President & CEO of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS), a role he held until his ouster in April 2024. During his tenure, he was a central figure in the media and advertising industry's pivot toward streaming and connected television, steering Paramount+ and Pluto TV as key vehicles for the company's advertising and subscription revenue strategies. His leadership placed Paramount Global at the intersection of traditional broadcast, cable, and the rapidly evolving streaming advertising ecosystem. Bakish rose through the ranks at Viacom, where he spent decades in various operational and international leadership roles before becoming President & CEO of Viacom in 2016. He guided the company through its merger with CBS to form ViacomCBS, and subsequently the rebranding to Paramount Global in 2022. Under his watch, Paramount acquired and scaled Pluto TV into one of the largest free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) platforms in the United States, making him a significant operator in the AVOD and FAST advertising landscape. Bakish was known for championing the value of Paramount's broad content portfolio—spanning CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, and the Paramount film studio—as an advertising and streaming asset. His strategic decisions around bundling, partnerships, and ad-supported tiers shaped how Paramount competed against Netflix, Disney+, and other streaming giants. He departed Paramount Global in April 2024 amid ongoing merger discussions with Skydance Media and broader challenges facing legacy media companies in the streaming era.
Expertise & education
Expertise
Education
- MBA, Columbia Business School
- BS, Industrial Engineering, Columbia University
Speaking topics
Recognition
Notable achievements
- Led acquisition and scaling of Pluto TV into one of the largest FAST platforms in the US
- Guided the merger of Viacom and CBS to form ViacomCBS in 2019
- Oversaw rebranding of ViacomCBS to Paramount Global in 2022
- Launched and expanded Paramount+ as a major ad-supported and subscription streaming service
- Grew Viacom's international footprint significantly as head of Viacom International Media Networks