In the latest rebranding effort at CBS since its reunion with Viacom, the company has rebranded its syndication division as CBS Media Ventures.
Previously known as CBS Television Distribution, the unit is known for top-viewed syndicated shows like Judge Judy and Wheel of Fortune.
“Syndication has traditionally meant distribution, but as the media landscape has evolved so have we,” said Steve LoCascio, president of CBS Media Ventures, in a press release. “In addition to our core business of producing and distributing leading first-run series, we also have a robust ad sales and partnerships business, create digital content for multiple platforms and run the lifestyle network Dabl. This new name better reflects who we are and positions us for limitless opportunities in the future.”
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The name change is accompanied by branding features like a custom version of the five-tone mnemonic that runs before many shows on the main broadcast network. Chief Marketing Officer Mike Benson led a major brand reassessment last year. CBS Media Ventures will now align with the master CBS brand and other business units across the company, with the aim of maintaining a unified and consistent look across CBS.
In addition to the classic eye image, the new logo also heralds key business areas like production, licensing, ad sales and partnerships.
“It was important for us to evolve CBS Media Ventures’ name, look and feel under the new CBS brand strategy in a cohesive way,” Benson said. “The new brand identity of CMV will uniquely align with the other divisions of the company in a way that will emphasize our unified strength across all facets of the media industry.”
CBS Media Ventures produces or distributes 11 first-run syndicated series, including Jeopardy and The Drew Barrymore Show, and handles national barter ad sales for third parties. Among those third-party shows are Debmar-Mercury’s syndicated programming such as Family Feud and Wendy Williams and Fox first-run series such as 25 Words or Less and Divorce Court.
The division also operates Dabl, a multicast lifestyle network that debuted in 2019 and is cleared in 95% of the U.S.
