CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the original incarnation of the Paramount Television studio. It is the television production arm of the CBS network (CBS Productions previously assumed such functions until 2004, when it was merged into Paramount Television), and, along with Warner Bros. Discovery through its Warner Bros. Television Studios, it is also the television production arm of The CW (in which Paramount has a 12.5% ownership stake). Background and timeline CBS In 1952 the Columbia Broadcasting System formed an in-house television production unit, CBS Productions (commonly referred to as The CBS Television Network), as well as facilities in the newly established Television City in the Fairfax District, Los Angeles in Westside. Also formed is CBS Television Film Sales (later known as CBS Films) as the distributor of off-network and first-run syndicated programming to local television stations in the United States and abroad. In 1963, CBS Studio Center is established in Studio City, Los Angeles district of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. Later in 1971, CBS Films is spun off as Viacom International, Inc. The company is re-established as CBS, Inc., in 1974. In 1978, the production unit gained the secondary/alternate name CBS Entertainment Productions. In 1994, Westinghouse Electric acquired CBS. Viacom merged with its creator CBS, in 1999. Paramount Pictures' early television ventures In 1939, experimental television stations were established in Los Angeles (W6XYZ) as Television Productions Inc. and Chicago (W9XBK) with Balaban and Katz. Commercial broadcasting began in 1943 over WBKB in Chicago (now WBBM-TV). Commercial broadcasting began in 1947 over KTLA in Los Angeles. In 1949, the first major studio to establish program syndication as Paramount Television Network (much of which originated from KTLA). Paramount branched out of broadcasting in 1964 with the sale of KTLA to Gene Autry. Desilu Productions Desilu Productions was formed in 1950 by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. Desilu Studios was established in Hollywood and Culver City in 1957, after Arnaz/Ball purchased the RKO Pictures studio lot. Desilu Sales Inc. was formed in 1962 as the company's syndication arm. In 1967, Desilu Productions was acquired by Gulf and Western Industries. The company became the TV division of Paramount Pictures Corporation in July, retaining the Desilu name