The DVD and licensing units at CBS have outgrown each other.
The Eye has decided to split the two units — formerly combined as a single entity under CBS Television Distribution — to give each business room to grow. That means more TV shows on disc from the Eye’s booming homevideo unit, and tie-ins ranging from “Amazing Race” luggage to “America’s Next Top Model” cosmetics and “CSI” science kits on the consumer products side.
Realignment underscores the Eye’s belief that there’s a huge untapped market in the licensing and merchandising of its brands, from “I Love Lucy” and “Star Trek” to “Survivor.”
“It’s about time,” said Ken Ross, exec VP and general manager for the newly minted CBS Home Entertainment. Previously, he handled both.
His division will fall under the CBS Television Distribution unit, which reports to prexy and chief operating officer Bob Madden.
Ross said the growth of TV on DVD — the category topped $3 billion last year — and a growing library demanded more attention than was possible under the previous structure. The division’s 2,600-title library encompasses small screen fare from CBS, Paramount, Spelling, Republic and Showtime.
“It’s a real piece of business that demands specialized care,” Ross said.
Heading the new CBS Consumer Products unit is Elizabeth Kalodner, who’ll have the title of exec VP and G.M. She comes to the Eye from Sesame Workshop and will report to Nancy Tellem, prexy of the CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group.
Putting licensing and merchandising under Tellem and the Entertainment division will allow for quicker, more streamlined efforts to exploit the Eye’s many brands.
Kalodner enthused about the Eye’s growth potential, citing programming spanning gameshows and soaps to primetime comedies and procedurals. “CBS’ portfolios are deep and broad,” she said.
She believes consumer products rep not only a revenue stream, but also a way to deepen viewers’ connections to their favorite shows — whether that’s done through a “Beverly Hillbillies” cookbook or “Survivor” camping equipment.
Added Tellem, “With this move, we’ve created a consumer products operation that is singularly focused and more closely aligned with the programming to better identify and create new business opportunities for our content assets.”
While the realignment isn’t directly related, it does rep further fallout from the CBS-Viacom breakup. Eye’s homevideo unit has grown dramatically since CBS took control of the thousands of hours of library programming from past and current Eye, Showtime and Paramount TV shows following the breakup.
