Paramount Television Service
 |
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| Type | Unrealized broadcast television network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Availability | Unlaunched |
| Founded | Scheduled for April–May 1978 by Barry Diller |
| Owner |
Paramount Pictures (Gulf+Western) |
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Key people
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Charles Bluhdorn Barry Diller Martin Davis Richard Frank Michael Eisner Jeffrey Katzenberg Mel Harris |
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Former names
|
Paramount Programming Service |
| Callsigns | PTVS |
The Paramount Television Service (or PTVS for short and also known as Paramount Programming Service) was the name of a proposed but ultimately unrealized "fourth television network" from the U.S. film studio Paramount Pictures (then a unit of Gulf+Western). It was a forerunner of the later UPN (the United Paramount Network), which launched 17 years later.
PTVS was not Paramount's first attempt at launching a television network. The first attempt occurred in 1949 with the launch of the Paramount Television Network, which never extended beyond a few stations and folded after only a few years.
In 1974, Barry Diller started his tenure as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures Corporation. With Diller at the helm, the studio produced hit television programs such as Laverne & Shirley (1976), Taxi (1978), and Cheers (1982). With his television background, Diller kept pitching an idea of his to the board: a fourth commercial network.
Paramount Pictures purchased the Hughes Television Network including its satellite time in planning for PTVS in 1976. They also hired Rich Frank of KCOP-TV and a member of the Operation Prime Time steering committee. Plans relating to the proposed launch of the Paramount Television Service were first announced on June 17, 1977. Set to launch in April 1978, its programming would have initially consisted of only one night a week. Thirty "Movies of the Week" would have followed Star Trek: Phase II on Saturday nights; a series based off Paramount's 1953 The War of The Worlds movie was also planned as "backup" for Phase II, with a pilot presentation produced by George Pal having been completed. PTVS was delayed until the 1978-1979 season due to cautious advertisers.
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