Paramount Global’s library is one of the deepest in entertainment history. With decades of cultural impact behind names like MTV, BET, and Nickelodeon, these brands defined eras of music, comedy, and youth culture. Yet, as linear television viewership continues to decline, the question isn’t whether these icons are still relevant—it’s whether they are being distributed in the right way.
David Ellison’s Skydance-led investment brings a generational opportunity to rethink Paramount’s approach. The future isn’t about selling off legacy assets for short-term cash flow; it’s about re-engineering them for platforms where the next generation already lives: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and the creator economy at large.
NEW YORK – APRIL 05: MTV sign is seen on April 05, 2006 in New York City. (Photo by Peter Kramer /Getty Images)
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MTV: Music Television for a Generation That Doesn’t Watch TV
Once the global epicenter for music discovery, MTV lost its relevance when the music video migrated to YouTube. But the brand still carries incredible equity. Reintroducing MTV as a digital-first powerhouse to generation Z and alpha could mean curating exclusive artist-driven content—premiere performances, early music video previews, behind-the-scenes footage, creator-hosted shows—and placing it behind micro-paywalls for superfans.
The right partnerships with artists, creators, and platforms could restore MTV’s role as the global hub for music culture. The very concept of reimagining an icon would have the likes of Spotify, Apple Music and Live Nation salivating with the music industry having shifted to a hybrid of the aforementioned digital platforms and the touring experience there is a gap for promotional which YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram have been filling without any exclusivity aspect.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 09: Scott Mills, President & CEO, BET Media Group speaks onstage during the 2025 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
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BET: Culture at the Center of Social Platforms
BET remains synonymous with Black culture, music, and storytelling. But its highest-value audiences are already fueling trends on TikTok and Instagram. By shifting BET’s biggest tentpoles—music specials, comedy showcases, cultural conversations—into digital-first formats, Paramount could capture cultural relevance while opening new monetization through sponsorships, memberships, and live digital events. The brand is still the authority—it simply needs to meet its community where it already engages.
A move in its entirety to digital platforms could attract top talent back home. From comedians, actors and musicians utilizing the platform again to showcase their talent, promote their upcoming projects and also re-introduce to a younger generation who already consume on digital platforms
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 23: DJ Khaled gets slimed onstage at Nickelodeon’s 2019 Kids’ Choice Awards at Galen Center on March 23, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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Nickelodeon: The Next-Gen Creator Playground
Nickelodeon’s DNA has always been interactive, messy, and fun. Imagine re-configuring Nickelodeon as a digital playground where kids and families don’t just watch—they participate. Short-form animation, kid-driven challenges, and interactive slime events could live natively on YouTube and TikTok, while gated story lines, spin-offs, and premium experiences unlock behind a low-cost subscription. In a world where Roblox and Fortnite attract millions of young users, Nickelodeon is sitting on an untapped pipeline for community-driven programming for Gen Alpha.
The Strategic Shift: From Networks to Digital IP Engines
The pivot isn’t just about chasing trends—it’s about recognizing that Paramount’s legacy brands are IP engines in a digital economy where attention is fragmented and community is everything. By transforming MTV, BET, and Nickelodeon into platform-native brands, Paramount unlocks multiple revenue streams: advertising at scale, brand partnerships, creator collaborations, and direct-to-consumer subscriptions for Superfans.
Scott Purdy, Global Lead Partner at KMPG’s Media Practice points out that ‘Legacy brands must innovate their storytelling techniques to resonate with younger audiences who prefer engaging, bite-sized content on digital platforms’ going on to add ‘This transition could revitalize older brands, but it requires bold reinvention to stay relevant in evolving formats’
Executing this type of shift requires not just vision but operational expertise, namely experience in scaling creator partnerships, developing monetization pipelines on emerging platforms, and re-imagining legacy IP for the demands of today’s global audience. Those who have navigated the intersection of talent, digital-first content, and brand partnerships know that the playbook isn’t theoretical; it’s tactical, measurable, and repeatable.
Why This Matters Now
For Paramount, the decision is urgent. Every quarter, cultural relevance shifts further toward digital-native players—from YouTube creators to TikTok collectives to streaming-first studios. The assets Paramount holds aren’t just brands—they are cultural institutions. Properly repositioned, they could thrive again, not as relics of television’s golden era, but as global leaders in music, culture, and youth engagement for the next generation.
With Skydance now at the helm, Paramount has a chance to do something bold: prove that legacy media can reinvent itself not by selling off its most famous brands or mining them for increasingly lower carriage fees, but by transforming them into the engines of a new digital-first empire.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasondavis/2025/10/13/paramounts-legacy-brands-face-a-crossroads-the-digital-playbook-for-mtv-bet-and-nickelodeon/
