NEOMatrix 1305 Posted January 14, 2018 Posted January 14, 2018 Viacom has been pretty much a scapegoat for cable's severe churn. From Vue and Hulu not carrying Viacom, to Spectrum moving the higher-rated channels to a digital tier (until 1/28, then it goes back to Select), Viacom has been maligned, some of it their own fault.
Rusty Muck 4390 Posted January 16, 2018 Posted January 16, 2018 They should divest Viacom's cable and movie studio assists to NBCUniversal. At least Comcast has the sense to shut down niche networks with no sense of growth. They did it three times last year (Cloo, Esquire, Chiller).
Sam Horn 78 Posted January 16, 2018 Posted January 16, 2018 So, like, everyone knows they're both super-majority owned by National Amusements/the Redstones, right? This seems more organizational than anything, and I doubt anything major would change superficially.
jb542 13 Posted January 18, 2018 Posted January 18, 2018 I don't think that CBS should merge with Viacom again. If CBS wants to merge, they should do it with a different company that isn't tv networks.
Rusty Muck 4390 Posted January 18, 2018 Posted January 18, 2018 So, like, everyone knows they're both super-majority owned by National Amusements/the Redstones, right? This seems more organizational than anything, and I doubt anything major would change superficially. The whole point of the split was for Sumner to have both a slow-growth, “old media” conglomerate in CBS and a fast-growth, “new media” conglomerate in Viacom.
MXSans2 64 Posted January 18, 2018 Posted January 18, 2018 I don't think that CBS should merge with Viacom again. If CBS wants to merge, they should do it with a different company that isn't tv networks. AT&T?
channel2 982 Posted January 18, 2018 Posted January 18, 2018 The whole point of the split was for Sumner to have both a slow-growth, “old media” conglomerate in CBS and a fast-growth, “new media” conglomerate in Viacom. Also, Viacom was transparently the one he cared about more, because it owned Paramount and "youthful" assets like MTV. Have you seen what's been going on? It's size for the sake of survival. The bigger the company - especially one formed through mergers - the more of a challenge it is to manage it properly. This is why the old Viacom was so poorly run, this is why Time Warner never made sense, and why Eisner preferred organic growth when he ran Disney. (The CapCities merger was the main exception to this, and it did solidify Disney's transformation from indie studio/amusement company to entertainment behemoth, but IMO, ABC has never been that well-managed under Disney, save for the few times they've hit upon a string of hits. Also, much of the reason Eisner bought ABC was to get back at Jeffrey Katzenberg - long story there)
ToriElectra 292 Posted January 18, 2018 Posted January 18, 2018 Also, Viacom was transparently the one he cared about more, because it owned Paramount and "youthful" assets like MTV. There were also several other issues that led to the split, including the internal war over who would succeed Sumner as head of Viacom (Tom Freston won after Les Moonves got shunted to CBS, but ended up getting fired a few years after), and the fact that MTV produced that Super Bowl halftime show with Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction-- Sumner most likely wanted CBS and MTV kept away from each other after that debacle.
channel2 982 Posted January 18, 2018 Posted January 18, 2018 Sumner fired Freston for his failure to acquire MySpace...
The Frog 434 Posted January 18, 2018 Author Posted January 18, 2018 A three-way merger between CBS, Lionsgate, and Viacom is being discussed. http://deadline.com/2018/01/lionsgate-talks-amazon-verizon-cbs-viacom-1202244991/
ColtFromGulfcoast 715 Posted January 18, 2018 Posted January 18, 2018 A three-way merger between CBS, Lionsgate, and Viacom is being discussed. http://deadline.com/2018/01/lionsgate-talks-amazon-verizon-cbs-viacom-1202244991/ Makes sense because Lionsgate and CBS already jointly own Pop, and collaborate on a few shows, such as the new version of MacGyver and Power on Starz. As for Viacom. the two used to co-own Epix before MGM bought those two's shares of it. The combined company would also distribute Wendy Williams and Family Feud. The only iffy part is what happens with Showtime and Starz. Will those two be allowed to be under the same ownership?
DonDonP1 118 Posted January 18, 2018 Posted January 18, 2018 I don't think that CBS should merge with Viacom again. If CBS wants to merge, they should do it with a different company that isn't tv networks. Hello. To be honest, I do hope that the re-merger happen, as it is the best way to save the Star Trek franchise. My apologies for my repetition.
ColDayNews 438 Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 Hello. To be honest, I do hope that the re-merger happen, as it is the best way to save the Star Trek franchise. My apologies for my repetition. What does any of this have to do with Star Trek?
Darius22 122 Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 What does any of this have to do with Star Trek? its one of their Franchises/Properties.
DonDonP1 118 Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 What does any of this have to do with Star Trek? Never mind. Pardon my off-topic.
Rusty Muck 4390 Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 its one of their Franchises/Properties. The franchise is split evenly between CBS and Viacom vis-a-vis Paramount, and National Amusements controls both. So nothing would really change with a merger. And TBH, William Shatner and Patrick Stewart aren’t coming back.
The Frog 434 Posted January 25, 2018 Author Posted January 25, 2018 Merger plans take shape amid tension between Redstone and Moonves. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/shari-redstones-viacom-cbs-merger-plans-take-shape-tension-1078180
ColDayNews 438 Posted January 28, 2018 Posted January 28, 2018 http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2018/01/25/viacom-cbs-ceos-have-discussed-potential-merger.html Looks as if merger discussions have begun.
jb542 13 Posted April 2, 2018 Posted April 2, 2018 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-viacom-m-a-cbs-exclusive/exclusive-cbs-plans-all-stock-bid-for-viacom-below-current-valuation-sources-idUSKCN1H91UE
jb542 13 Posted April 7, 2018 Posted April 7, 2018 Does anyone think this will go through? They can't even decide on a COO
TSSZNews 1052 Posted April 7, 2018 Posted April 7, 2018 Does anyone think this will go through? They can't even decide on a COO It's really up to the Redstone family. They probably want to maximize shareholder value and that's where this deal makes some sense. But a merger benefits Viacom WAY more than it does CBS. Viacom are the ones floundering here--and their approach right now completely flies in the face with CBS taking a digital-first strategy via All Access, CBS Sports HQ and CBSN. Do those entities survive under a CBS/Viacom merger--or will the Viacom library and their cable nets suddenly get a lot more accessible in the digital world? I don't know.
atlnews2 591 Posted April 11, 2018 Posted April 11, 2018 https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/redstone-likely-to-replace-moonves-as-head-of-cbs-if-no-deal-with-viacom-sources-say.html Shari Redstone is willing to oust Les Moonves if he doesn't play ball
jb542 13 Posted April 11, 2018 Posted April 11, 2018 https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/redstone-likely-to-replace-moonves-as-head-of-cbs-if-no-deal-with-viacom-sources-say.html Shari Redstone is willing to oust Les Moonves if he doesn't play ball CBS and Viacom should stay separate. CBS is fine with Les in charge. Why mess that up if they don't make a deal?
TSSZNews 1052 Posted April 11, 2018 Posted April 11, 2018 https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/redstone-likely-to-replace-moonves-as-head-of-cbs-if-no-deal-with-viacom-sources-say.html Shari Redstone is willing to oust Les Moonves if he doesn't play ball Not just Les...the entire CBS board. She's really willing to kill the golden goose just to keep the cable side afloat? Wow. Moonves ought to call her bluff. He wouldn't be out of work for long, and CBS would be looking down the barrel of another Tisch era.
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