Viacom
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Viacom (short for Video & Audio Communications) [pronunciation: pre-Redstone/pre-1987: "vee-a-com"; post-Redstone acquisition: "vi-a-com"] Template:Nyse, Template:Nyse is an international media conglomerate. The companies owned by Viacom touch virtually every major segment of the media industry. 81-year-old Sumner Redstone is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. The offices of President and Chief Operating Officer are jointly held by 58-year-old Tom Freston and 53-year-old Leslie Moonves, who had headed the MTV Networks and CBS units respectively. In June 2005, Viacom announced that it would split itself into two independent companies: a New Viacom, to be headed by Freston, and a CBS Corporation, to be headed by Moonves. Redstone will remain the Chairman and majority shareholder of both companies.
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History
Viacom began life as the television syndication division of CBS, CBS Films. In 1971, the division was renamed VIACOM (Video & Audio Communications), and in 1973 it was spun off, amid new FCC rules forbidding television networks from owning syndication companies.
Viacom made large amounts of money during the 1970s and 1980s distributing old CBS classics to syndication, including such landmark shows as I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show and All in the Family (which was owned by Embassy/Columbia Pictures Television). They also syndicated shows for others, the biggest examples being The Cosby Show and Roseanne (which were owned by Carsey-Werner).
In 1985, Viacom bought Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, which owned MTV and Nickelodeon, renaming the company MTV Networks. Viacom also received Showtime Networks, Inc. (which included Showtime and The Movie Channel), which has retained its original name, Showtime Networks, Inc. In 1986, Viacom was bought by movie theater owner National Amusements, which brought Sumner Redstone to the company. Redstone made a string of large acquisitions in the early 1990s, announcing plans to buy Paramount Pictures in 1993, and buying the Blockbuster Video chain in 1994.
The Blockbuster acquisition gave Viacom access to large television holdings controlled by Aaron Spelling's company, Spelling Entertainment; along with his own productions (such as The Love Boat and Beverly Hills 90210), Spelling controlled the pre-1973 ABC and NBC back catalogs by way of Worldvision Enterprises and Republic Pictures. After these acquisitions, Viacom owned many movie and television production and syndication units, which were slowly integrated into Paramount; many TV shows previously distributed by Viacom, Republic or Worldvision have since gained Paramount closing logos.
In 1999, Viacom made what has been its biggest acquisition so far, by announcing plans to buy its former parent CBS. The merger was approved in 2000, bringing cable channels TNN (now Spike TV) and Country Music Television (CMT) under Viacom's wing, as well as CBS's production units and TV syndicators Eyemark (formerly Group W) and King World. As of this writing, CBS's production unit and King World (which has since absorbed Eyemark) are operating under their own names, as parts of CBS, and no attempt has been made thus far to move them around in Viacom's corporate structure; however, TNN and CMT were merged into MTV Networks almost immediately.
In 2001, Viacom completed its purchase of Black Entertainment Television (BET). As with TNN and CMT, it was immediately integrated into MTV Networks, causing some outcry among BET workers in the Washington, DC area (where BET was based before the merger). As a result, BET was de-integrated from MTV Networks.
Although a majority economic interest in Viacom is held by independent shareholders, the Redstone family maintains 71% voting control of the company through National Amusements' holdings of Viacom's class A stock.
In June 2004, Viacom bought the German VIVA Media AG, the German equivalent to MTV. Therefore, Viacom is now the only music television distributor in Germany. The same month, plans were announced to dispose of Viacom's interest in Blockbuster later that year by means of an exchange offer with exact terms to be announced.
In March 2005, Viacom announced plans of looking into splitting the company into two publically traded companies, amid issues of the stock price stagnating.
One company, to be headed by Leslie Moonves, would include CBS, UPN, Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom Outdoor, Showtime Networks, and Paramount's Television Studio (which would make sense because Moonves' speciality is television). These businesses were catagorized as the "slow growth businesses" because while they provided steady cash flow, they don't have any growth potential. Some analysts say that these businesses are suffocating the growth of the MTV Networks cable businesses. The company will assume the monicer of CBS Corporation.
The other company, which would keep the Viacom name, will be headed by Tom Freston would be comprised of MTV Networks, BET Networks, Paramount's Movie Studio, and Paramount Pictures' home entertainment operations. These businesses are catagorized as the high-growth businesses (MTV Networks and BET Networks in particular), and if they were split into a separate company, it could infuse new funds/capital to allow for future acquisitions and expansion.
Sumner Redstone will still control 71 percent of the voting stock of both companies and will be the chairman of both companies.
The company split was approved by the Viacom board on June 14, 2005.
The V of Doom
One notable thing about Viacom when it comes to production logos is that some people reported being traumatized by its massive TV closing logo's icon of the fancy-cut "V" (which was described as mountainous), leading it to get the nickname of "The V of Doom". It is usually rivaled with other closing logos such as Screen Gems's "S from Hell" as one of the scariest production logos ever made.
The Viacom V of Doom ran from 1976-1986. It starts with the words "A Viacom Presentation" zooming in from the center of the screen at a very fast pace. Then, a fancy-cut, purple V comes from the center and moves gradually closer and closer to the screen with the V taking up nearly the entire screen.
A network television version usually had the V and the name "Viacom" zooming in together. One example is from the made-for-movie production of Dear Detective.
Its music was a 5-note synthesized tune with a kettledrum cresending throughout. Even after the logo faded to black, the kettledrum's echo can still be heard. Rumor has it that there was a version of this logo that used the "pinball music" from the first Viacom logo.
The music and V jar on the screen, which is the root of many people's bad memories. The audio quality is also poor.
Assets
Main article: List of assets owned by Viacom
Radio Networks
- Infinity Broadcasting (manages Westwood One Radio Network)
- Metro Networks
Radio Stations
- Infinity Broadcasting (owns and operates over 180 stations)
Internet
- MTVi Group
- CBS Internet Group
- Sportsline.com
- MarketWatch.com (25%)
- Nickelodeon Online
- BET.com
- Contentville.com (35%)
- Radiomat.com (Streams twelve all-news Infinity stations)
- Neopets (Viacom bought Neopets on June 20, 2005 for 160 million dollars)
Film Production and Distribution
Advertising & Merchandising
- Viacom Consumer Products
- Infinity Outdoor (Billboards)
- Famous Music
Theater Operations
- United Cinemas International (joint venture with Vivendi)
- Paramount Theaters
- Famous Players Canada
- Showcase Cinemas
Publishing
Television Networks
Broadcast
Cable
- MTV Networks
- MTV
- MTV Jams
- MTV Hits
- MTV Base UK
- TMF UK
- TMF NL
- MTV Dance UK
- MTV Espaņol
- VIVA
- Paramount Comedy Channel UK
- Paramount2 UK
- Nickelodeon
- INK (Joint venture with ITV PLC) **ANNOUNCED**
- Nick at Nite
- Nick 2
- Nick Replay UK
- Nick Jr
- Nicleodeon Games and Sports for Kids
- Nicktoons
- Noggin/The-N (Formerly a joint venture with Sesame Workshop)
- TV Land
- Country Music Television (CMT)
- Spike TV
- VH1
- VH1 Classic
- VH1 Country
- VH1 Soul
- VH Uno
- Comedy Central
- LOGO
- Showtime Networks
- Showtime
- The Movie Channel
- Sundance Channel (joint venture with Robert Redford and Universal Studios)
- FLIX
- SET Pay-Per-View (sporting and entertainment events)
- BET
Television Production and Distribution
- Paramount Television
- Spelling Entertainment Group (80%)
- Big Ticket Television
- Viacom Productions
- King World Productions
- CBS Productions
- CBS Broadcast International
- Paramount International Television
- CBS Paramount International Television
Television Stations
Other
- Blockbuster Video - Sells and rents video games and movies.
- Paramount Parks - A collection of theme parks in the United States and Canada
External links
- Facts page at the Viacom website (http://www.viacom.com/thefacts.tin)
- Ketupa.net - Viacom (http://www.ketupa.net/viacom.htm)
- Viacom information (http://hoovers.com/viacom/--ID__12435--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml) by Hoover's
- Viacom profile (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=VIA-B) by Yahoo!de:Viacom