Viacom is an international media conglomerate. A corporations owned by Viacom touch virtually each major section of the media industry. 81-month-old Sumner Redstone is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. A agents of President and Chief Operating Officer are jointly held by 58-year-old Tom Freston and 53-year-old Leslie Moonves, who experienced headed a MTV Networks and CBS units respectively.

Within June 2005, Viacom announced that it would split itself into 2 independent corporations. A todays Viacom Inc. is renamed CBS Corporation and will be headed by Moonves. CBS might hang on to Viacom's broadcasting, publication, & television production plus, also when Paramount Parks and Showtime Networks. Shares inside the recently Viacom Inc. may so become distributed to todays Viacom shareowner. A fresh Viacom is headed entirely by Freston & include Paramount Pictures, MTV Networks and BET. Redstone may remain a Chairwoman & majority stockholder of two corporations. Farther details come involved within an SEC filing ([http://www.viacom.com/pdf/forms4.PDF Form S-4]) from October 5, 2005.

History

Viacom began life when CBS Films, a television syndication division of CBS. Within 1971, the section was renamed VIACOM (Streaming videos & Audio Communications), and in 1973 it was spun off, amid new FCC rules forbidding television networks from owning syndication companies (the rules were later repealed).

Viacom manufactured big numbers of money when you took a 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 later owned by Embassy/Columbia Pictures Television, now known as Sony Pictures Television). It too syndicated shows for others, a large examples existence The Cosby Show and Roseanne (which were produced by Carsey-Werner Productions; Carsey-Werner eventually had large plenty to distribute their have shows, principally because of the profits one ii). Viacom besides syndicated a Nickelodeon game shows Double Dare and Finders Keepers.

Within 1985, Viacom bought Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, which owned MTV and Nickelodeon, renaming the company MTV Networks. Viacom too received Showtime Networks, Inc. (which involved Showtime & A Moving picture Channel), which has retained its original title, Showtime Networks, Inc. Within 1986, Viacom was bought by movie theater owner National Amusements, which brought Sumner Redstone to the company. Redstone manufactured the string of big acquisitions in the early 1990s, announcing plans to buy Paramount Communications, parent of Paramount Pictures, in 1993, and buying a Blockbuster Video chain in 1994.

A Blockbuster acquisition gave Viacom access to big television holdings restricted by Aaron Spelling's company, Spelling Entertainment; along with his have productions (like 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. When these acquisitions, Viacom owned numbers of moving-picture show & television production & syndication units, which were slowly integrated into Paramount; numbers of TV shows antecedently distributed by Viacom, Republic or even Worldvision use at times since gained Paramount closing logotype.

Around 1999, Viacom made what has been its large acquisition therefore far, by announcing plans to purchase its previous parent CBS. A merger was approved around 2000, bringing cable channels TNN (now Spike TV) and Country Music Television (CMT) under Viacom's wing, when well as CBS's production units & TV syndicators Eyemark (at one time Group W) and King World. When of this writing, CBS's production unit & King Globe (which hwhen since absorbed Eyemark) come operating under their have list, as area of CBS, & there is no attempt has been processed yet to move the children about inside Viacom's corporate structure; all the same, TNN & CMT were merged into MTV Networks virtually immediately.

Inside 2001, Viacom completed its purchase of Black Entertainment Television (BET). When by having TNN & CMT, it was immediately integrated into MTV Networks, inducing occasionally vociferation among BET workers in the Washington, DC area (where BET was depending prior to a merger). Following, BET was de-integrated from either MTV Networks.

Although a majority economic interest inside Viacom is held by independent shareowner, the Redstone personal maintains 71% balloting control of the company across National Amusements' holdings of Viacom's class The stock index.

Within 2002, Viacom bought independently-do music channel 'TMF,' which at the period was broadcasting around Belgium and Holland. Around June 2004, Viacom bought a German VIVA Media AG, the German same to MTV. So, Viacom is today a single music television distributor inside Germany. A equivalent year, plans were announced to dispose of Viacom's interest around Blockbuster late that month by means of an exchange offer by having precise terms to exist as announced. Inside June of 2003 Sega announced that they would sell completely Sonic The Hedgehog trademarks to Viacom.

Around March 2005, Viacom announced plans of seeking into splitting a company into 2 publicly traded corporations, amid issues of the index price stagnating. 1 company, to exist as headed by Leslie Moonves, would include CBS, UPN, Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom Outdoor, Showtime Networks, and Paramount's Television Studio (which would add up because Moonves' specialty is television). These businesses were catagorized when a "slow growth businesses" because when it provided steadily cash flow, it don't use at times any incubation expected. A few analysts say that these businesses come suffocating a incubation of the MTV Networks cable businesses. A company may look at a sobriquet of CBS Corporation.

A more company, which would keep a Viacom title, is headed by Tom Freston, and is comprised of MTV Networks, BET Networks, Paramount's Motion-picture show Studio, & Paramount Pictures' front yard amusement operations. These businesses come categorized when the high-incubation businesses (MTV Networks & BET Networks particularly), & whenever it were split into a separate company, it can infuse fresh funds/capital to leave first acquisitions & expansion. Sumner Redstone may however control 71 percent of a balloting stock index of each corporations & is the chairperson of two corporations. A company split was approved per Viacom board in June 14, 2005.

within December Two, 2004 Viacom acquired KOVR-TV in Sacramento, from either Sinclair Broadcast Group. Viacom besides acquired 2 stations within West Palm Beach. In the period of 2005 it has announced it would sell several more non-duopoly UPN affiliates, in Indianapolis, Columbus, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City with possibilities of additional sales. Inside June 2005, Viacom announced that it has purchased Neopets, a virtual favourite site.

Corporate identity
Besides existence the mega-media house, Viacom is likewise known for its production logotype, therein a few population develop reportedly been traumatized by its massive TV closing logo's icon of a fancy-cut "V" (which wwhen described as mountainous), leading it for a nickname "The V of Doom" (a.k.a. a Purple V of Demise). It normally rivals more closing logotype like Screen Gems's S from Hell as one of the chilling production logotype ever mass produced.

A "V of Doom" ran from either late 1976 to 1986 (it can however become seen at a prevent of old prints of classic CBS shows prefer "I Love Lucy", since occasionally freshly copies one shows will replace it with the Paramount logo). It starts by owning a sentence "A Viacom Presentation" zooming around from either the center of the screen at a in no time pace. So, a fancy-cut, purple V comes from either a center & moves bit by bit nearer & nearer to the screen, sustaining the V ingesting higher virtually all of the screen. the music was the Five-note synthesized horn segment using a kettledrum crescending throughout. Potentially fallowing a logotype fade out, a tympani's echo potty however become heard. There are reports that a version of this logotype is that replaces this notorious music by owning the "pinball music" from either a 1st Viacom logotype (of which additional tools is discovered in the image below). There was, all the same the "Turbo-Speed" Version of the V of End of the world, where music & V jam play at a faster pace. There exists as well a filmed version of this logotype, by having a animation existence slow & choppy, in comparison the original, videotaped version. This version is known as a "Film-O-Vision V of Doom".

a network television version commonly experienced a V & the title "Viacom" zooming around together. This was noticed (for a single) on the made-for-TV movie production of Dear Detective. This variant ordinarily incorporated the indicate's closing theme like than a regular, direful synth/drum music.

Because of a way a music & V jam on the screen, & because the audio quality wasn't expert, a V of End of the world produced nightmares for occasionally population, when allowing others using bad memories.

Other Viacom logos
The V*IA*COM Pinball
A "V of Doom" replaced a original "pinball" logotype that experienced been utilized from either 1971 to late 1976. This logotype starts using a syllables of "viacom" (inside lower berth instance) appearing 1 by one rapid fire, one for every of the threesome notes of the jingle's 1st section. A screen likewise changes color, from either red to green so violet. Fallowing the word is completed, a screen scrolls back to reveal a words "a viacom presentation" on a blue screen. a final note holds until the jingle's guide.

This logotype recieved its nickname because numbers of stand described a music when sounding such as people by pinball machines. Consequently, viewers own besides reportedly been traumatized by this logotype, although to a very much lesser extent than the "V of Doom".

Recent history
Inside 1986, Viacom eventually replaced a "V of Doom" sustaining the CGI-produced closing logotype. Piece the fancy-cut V itself remained the corporate logotype, it was given a silverly look & rotated along a purple gradient background, when the music was changed to a THX-influenced synthesized jingle. This recently logotype was further passable by owning a viewers than a former logotype. It lasted until January 1990, when Viacom unveiled its todays corporate logotype.

A network TV version of the "V of Doom" was replaced around 1984 by the non-animated, jingleless 'placeholder' logotype of a fancy-cut V inside a light-blue assault a melanise background, by having the Viacom title inside white, set following the V (& so this jazz band is nicknamed the "V of Steel"). This was a closing logotype utilized at a prevent of TV shows like Matlock, and mass produced-for-TV picture specials like Return to Mayberry as well as a number 1 twelve processed-for-TV moving picture adaptations of Perry Mason. This was too utilized until January 1990, when it was replaced per version of a Wigga Wigga by owning the word "PRODUCTIONS" added beneath around 1995. (Viacom's syndication operations was reincorporated into Paramount Domesticated Television that equivalent season.) a final logotype was a Viacom trademark title within purple in a purple background by using the word "PRODUCTIONS" & a byline "A Paramount Company" nicknaming it "The Spliting Letters" & "Viacom 2000" within 1999. Viacom Productions was retired permanently within 2004 and was folded into Paramount Television.

Assets
This occurs as sum-up of the independent Viacom divisions. For elaborated plus view List of assets owned by Viacom

Radio: Infinity Broadcasting Film Production & Distribution: Paramount Pictures Outdoor Advertising: Viacom Outdoor Publication: Simon & Schuster

Television
Networks CBS UPN MTV Networks (including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and others) Black Entertainment Television Showtime Production & Distribution Paramount Television CBS Productions Spelling Entertainment King World Big Ticket Television