New ViacomCBS Report Shows Improved Diversity in Management Ranks

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ViacomCBS’s newest DE&I report shows that the percent of non-whites holding VP titles or higher increased to 27.3% but management ranks were still notably less diverse than the company’s overall workforce

ViacomCBS
(Image credit: ViacomCBS)

NEW YORK—As part of ViacomCBS’s efforts to improve the diversity of its workplace and the content it delivers to the public, the company has issued its second Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) report. The report presented some welcome transparency in terms of data about the diversity of its workforce and highlighted a host of initiatives to make its workforce and programming more diverse and inclusive.

“In our resolve to advance diversity, equity and inclusion globally, we are guided by certainty of purpose and clarity of vision. We know there is more work ahead of us, but we are committed to this shared journey and pleased to share this snapshot of our work,” explained Marva Smalls, executive vice president, global head of inclusion, ViacomCBS and executive vice president, public affairs, Kids & Family Entertainment Brands, at ViacomCBS Media Networks.

The report showed near gender parity in terms of workforce numbers, with 51% of employees being male and 49% female. Men make up 51% of vice president or higher management roles in the U.S., but there were fewer women holding senior vice president or higher roles, with 54% being male and 46% women.

In terms of race, whites made up 62.3% in the overall ViacomCBS workforce the U.S., followed by Hispanic or LatinX (12.3%), Black or African American (11.7%), Asian (10.7%), two or more races 2.5%, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (0.3%) and Native American (0.23%). Overall 37.7% of the company's workforce was non-Hispanic whites, up from 36.2% in the first report.  

But those percentages worsened in higher management ranks, with whites making up (72.3%) of those at the vice president or higher level, followed by Hispanic (8.0%), Black (8.6%) and Asian (9.3%).

Among those in a senior VP or higher role, whites comprised 75.8%, followed by Hispanics (6.0%), Black (9.3%) and Asian (7.14%).

Those numbers did, however, represent an improvement over the company’s first DE&I report. About 27.3% of those holding a vice president or higher title were not categorized as white in the newest report, versus  24.9% in the first report.

More data and details on the company’s efforts to improve its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts can be found here.  

George Winslow
George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.