Dan Cohen

Dan Cohen is chief content licensing officer for Paramount where he leads the company’s global content licensing and distribution operations. He is responsible for monetizing a large and growing portfolio of original content that airs or streams on the CBS Television Network, The CW, Paramount+ and SHOWTIME, as well as programming from Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television Studios, CBS Studios, CBS News, CBS Media Ventures, the MTV Entertainment Studios, Nickelodeon, VIS, Miramax and third-party partners. He also runs worldwide home entertainment for the company overseeing the distribution of the industry’s largest library of film and television titles.

Cohen assumed leadership of the division following his role as president, global content licensing, formerly for ViacomCBS. Previously, Cohen served as president of Worldwide Home Entertainment & Television Distribution for Paramount Pictures. He joined Paramount in 2017 as president of Worldwide Television Licensing.

Prior to joining Paramount, Cohen spent 20 years at Disney/ABC, where he served as executive vice president of pay television and digital sales for home entertainment and television distribution for the Walt Disney Studios. In this role, he distributed catalog and properties such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, ABC, and Disney Channel to businesses around the globe. Cohen was also responsible for securing two of the most significant pay television deals in history – Netflix in 2012 and Starz in 1999 – negotiating exclusive, multi-year deals and licensing agreements.

Before Disney/ABC, Cohen served as vice president of program acquisitions and scheduling for Tele-TV Media, vice president of film acquisitions and co-productions for Showtime Networks, and held roles at Viewer’s Choice, Palmer Cablevision and Post-Newsweek Cable.

Cohen holds a BA in economics from Portland’s Lewis & Clark and a master’s in radio and television from San Francisco State University; he currently serves as Chair of the board of directors for the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) and is also on the board of directors of the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE). He was the recipient of the 2017 Executive of the Year Award from the Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors. Cohen resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Lisa Black.