#Paramount Movie Network Has Been Nixed

This plan was more than theoretical. Soon after Chris McCarthy, President and CEO of ViacomCBS Media Networks announced the pivot strategy, several Paramount Network shows were canceled. “Ink Master” and “Wife Swap” were among the unscripted series that got the ax, while other shows, like viral-video friendly “Lip Sync Battle,” were set to move to other networks.

Meghan Hooper White, who joined the company as EVP and Head of Original Movies and Limited Series in 2020, was poised to help develop the network’s original movie slate. However, Hooper White reportedly left the company in 2021. The show renewed one of the series that had been planned to move — “Bar Rescue” — in May of that year, which may have been an early sign that their plan to pivot wasn’t actually going to happen. Before they changed course, though, they also moved the series “The Last Cowboy” to the CMT network and planned to put “Ink Master” on their own streamer, Paramount+.

If there’s one property that probably influenced Paramount Network’s decision to stay the course, it’s likely Taylor Sheridan and John Linson’s incredibly popular series “Yellowstone.” The series is currently airing its fourth season, the premiere of which became the most-watched cable telecast since 2017. The show, which follows the trials and tribulations of ranchers, Indigenous tribes, and developers living in Montana, has already spawned a successful spin-off, “1883.”