Paramount Teams Up with PBS

Looking to grow its market share, Paramount Home Video has struck a five-year deal with PBS to distribute its PBS and PBS Kids titles on home video and DVD in the United States and Canada.

Warner Home Video had previously handled the distribution, but a PBS spokeswoman said Paramount’s "reach and expertise in children’s titles" helped it secure the new deal.

Tracey Beeker, VP of marketing and consumer products for PBS, said the service decided Paramount’s "vast reach and distribution," would get their titles greater placement than they had before.

With DVD and video sales becoming an increasing revenue stream for programmers, PBS is looking to boost its take to help pay for new programming and services.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.