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Paramount Network (International)
Product type	Television broadcaster
Owner	Paramount Global
Country	United States
Introduced	List March 30, 2012 (Spain) ; May 13, 2012 (Austria) ; September 5, 2013 (France) ; February 14, 2014 (Hungary) ; February 14, 2014 (Russia and CIS); May 28, 2014 (Romania & Moldova) ; November 14, 2014 (Latin America) ; December 16, 2014 (Sweden) ; March 19, 2015 (Poland) ; February 2016 (Thailand) ; February 27, 2016 (Italy) ; April 15, 2017 (MENA) ; 2017 (Vietnam and Malaysia) ; July 4, 2018 (United Kingdom) ; June 1, 2019 (Philippines) ; February 19, 2020 (Ukraine) ; January 12, 2021 (Czech Republic) ; February 1, 2021 (Singapore) ; September 27, 2021 (TransVision, Indonesia) ; October 1, 2021 (myTV Super, Hong Kong) ; October 15, 2021 (Cable TV, Hong Kong) ; December 9, 2021 (Brunei) ; ;
Discontinued	List September 1, 2020 (MENA) ; January 12, 2021 (Romania & Moldova) ; December 31, 2021 (Finland) ; January 1, 2022 (Denmark & Sweden) ; January 17, 2022 (Italy) ; January 19, 2022 (United Kingdom) ; April 28, 2022 (Russia) ; January 1, 2023 (Vietnam); January 4, 2023 (CIS and Ukraine); June 1, 2023 (Cable TV, Hong Kong); September 29, 2023 (myTV Super, Hong Kong) ; April 1, 2024 (Southeast Asia) ; ;

Paramount Network, formerly but still known in France as the Paramount Channel,^[1] is an international television channel brand owned and operated by the Paramount International Networks division of Paramount Global that showcase its selected television productions and the film catalogue of its filming division, Paramount Pictures. First launched in Spain on 30 March 2012, the brand has since been or was operated in territories across Europe, East Africa, Latin America and Asia.

History

As Paramount Channel

To date, Paramount Channel has launched in Spain in March 2012, France in September 2013, Hungary in February 2014, Russia in January 2014,^[2] Romania on January 14, 2014,^[3] Latin America in September 1995 until 2003, but returns again in the brand new look of November 2014,^[4] Sweden in December 2014, Poland in March 2015, Italy and Thailand in February and May 2016, and in the Middle East in April 2017.^[5]

Relaunch

In May 2018, Viacom announced that the original Paramount Channel in Spain would relaunch as a local version of the U.S Paramount Network, switching to a general entertainment format with television series and films.^[6] The same relaunch as the Paramount Network occurred in Italy on March 16, 2019,^[7] and in Latin America on April 14, 2020.^[8] On October 20, 2020, it was announced that the Hungarian version would also rebrand as the Paramount Network, and the rebranding date was confirmed on November 23 that year. Paramount Channel in Hungary rebranded as the Paramount Network on December 17, 2020.^[9]^[10] In December 2020, ViacomCBS announced Prima Comedy Central in the Czech Republic will be rebranded as Paramount Network.^[11] Paramount Network launched effectively on January 12, 2021. On January 26, 2021, it was announced on the Paramount Channel Asia official Facebook page that ViacomCBS announced that the Paramount Channel in Thailand, Malaysia, and the Pacific Islands (including the Philippines) was to be rebranded as Paramount Network on February 1, 2021.

Following the beginning of the launch of Paramount+ in March 2021, and its international expansion, this has led to Paramount Global to close the Paramount Network channels operating in the Nordic countries by the end of 2021, to put more resources towards Paramount+.

In August 2021, Paramount Networks International agreed a deal with Comcast Corporation's Sky Group^[12]^[13]^[14] to launch the Paramount+ streaming service in various European markets via Sky's set-top boxes^[15] and devices.^[16] To reduce overall branding confusion with Paramount+, Paramount Network in the UK was rebranded as 5Action on 19 January 2022, without any overall changes to its programme schedule.^[17]^[18]

Less than two weeks before the UK rebranding, rumors begin to surge about Paramount Network and Spike in Italy closing on January 17, 2022.^[19] This was later confirmed, with Mediaset acquiring the positions left unused on DTT,^[20] and Paramount Network being replaced with the channel Twentyseven.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, all the channels under the control of Paramount Global were discontinued from Russia, including the Paramount Channel, on April 28, 2022. The channel would, however, continue broadcasting in CIS regions and Ukraine, until it was permanently discontinued on January 4, 2023,^[21]^[22]^[23] leaving France as the only region still using the Paramount Channel name instead of Paramount Network, and coincidentally the only region in Europe where the channel coexists alongside Paramount+.

By April 1, 2024, Paramount Network ceased operations in Southeast Asia following the arrival of both streaming platforms, Paramount+ which will launch in June via Blast TV, and Pluto TV which will launch in the near future.

Programming

Launched in September 1995, The Paramount Channel was originally transmitted in Latin America as the launch day and primarily broadcast TV shows such as drama, sitcoms and animated TV shows.

The original Paramount Channel in Spain primarily broadcast films from the 1980s and 1990s, as well as recent television series. The international versions that followed shared a similar format but never the same programming. For instance, films from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s were broadcast in France, recent TV series and 1990s and 2000s films were broadcast in Italy, and films and TV series from the 1930s, 1970s, 1980s, 2000s, and 2010s were broadcast in Hungary, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Russia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. In addition to airing films, some versions in other countries are also airing combat sporting events from mixed martial arts promotion Bellator MMA.

Following the rebranding of the channel (along with international Spike channels) as Paramount Network, it now adds series from its U.S. domestic counterpart as well as from the television production companies of ViacomCBS and from acquisition of syndicated programming. In some countries, shows from Comedy Central are also aired on the channel.

List of channels

Operating

Country	Name	Launch date	Former names
United States	Paramount Network	March 7, 1983	The Nashville Network (1983–2000) The National Network (2000–2001) The New TNN (2001–2003) Spike TV (2003–2006) Spike (2006–2018)
Spain	Paramount Network	March 30, 2012	Paramount Channel
France	Paramount Channel	September 2013
Hungary	Paramount Network	February 2014
Latin America (revived)	Paramount Network	November 2014	Paramount Channel (2014-2020)
Poland	Paramount Network	March 2015	Viacom Blink! (2011–15)
Philippines	Paramount Network	June 1, 2019
Czech Republic	Paramount Network	January 12, 2021	Prima Comedy Central (2015-2021)
Netherlands	Paramount Network	May 24, 2022	TeenNick (2011-2015) Spike (2015-2022)

Defunct

Country	Name	Launch date	Shutdown date	Former names	Replaced by
United Kingdom	The Paramount Channel	November 1, 1995	February 1997		Paramount Comedy Channel (currently Comedy Central)
	5Spike	April 15, 2015	January 7, 2020	Spike (2015-2017)	Paramount Network (currently 5Action)
	Paramount Network	July 4, 2018	January 19, 2022		5Action
Arabia	Paramount Channel	2017	2020
Romania and Moldova	Paramount Channel	2014	2021
Austria	Paramount Network	2018	2021
Denmark	Paramount Network	2019	2022	Comedy Central (2014-2019)
Finland	Paramount Network	2019	2022
Italy	Paramount Network	February 2016	January 16, 2022	Paramount Channel (2016-2019)
Italy	Spike	October 22, 2017	January 16, 2022	Fine Living (????-2017)
Sweden	Paramount Network	January 15, 2019	2022	Comedy Central (2009-2019)
Latin America (original)	Paramount Channel	September 1995	2003
Australia	Spike	July 1, 2016	February 27, 2022
Hungary	RTL Spike	December 1, 2016	January 12, 2021		TeenNick
Canada	Paramount Network	1984	2024	The Nashville Network (1984–2000) The National Network (2000–2001) The New TNN (2001–2003) Spike TV (2003–2006) Spike (2006–2018)
Russia & CIS	Paramount Channel	2014	2023
Russia & CIS	Spike	March 15, 2017	June 1, 2021
Asia	Paramount Channel	2021	2023 (Vietnam and Hong Kong) 2024 (everywhere in Asia)