BREAKING ALL THE RULES!: BREAKING ALL THE RULES! “1999
(September, 7) Viacom and CBS announce merger. The $50 billion deal, the largest media merger of the time, comes one month after the FCC gives approval to duopolies. The new Viacom has 33 television stations which eclipse the FCC's 35 % ownership cap. The cap is based on the amount of stations one company owns that reach 35% or more of the nation's television households.
2001
United States Court of Appeals, DC Circuit gives Viacom temporary approval to exceed the 35% ownership cap
2001
Viacom completes $3 billion deal for BET Inc. “
Slide2: 2002
Viacom completes acquisition of KCAL-TV (Los Angeles) from Young Broadcasting Inc. for $650 million. The deal forms a Viacom duopoly in Los Angeles raising the number of markets where it owns two broadcast stations to eight.
2003
Infinity Broadcasting owns and operates 185 radio stations, second in size to only Clear Channel Communications. Viacom Outdoor is the largest outdoor advertising entity in North America. Viacom Television Stations Group owns and operates 39 TV stations.
2004
After years of internal battles with Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone, Mel Karmazin, resigns as the company's chief operating officer. Karmazin was formely the president and CEO of CBS
MORE!!!: MORE!!! 2005
The "new" Viacom gains control of trendy Neopets, a popular children's website. Through Paramount, they also acquire DreamWorks.
2006
Viacom acquires several new holdings: Xfire, Atom Entertainment, and Harmonix.
2007
Viacom engaged in disputes with YouTube over copyrighted video clips, and removed their leaked clips from the site. They opted instead for a content licensing deal with similar videosharing website Joost. Later in the year, Viacom entered into a split venture with Global Broadcast News, the result of which was Viacom-18: a provider of Viacom channels in India as well as Network 18's Bollywood movie business. In December, Viacom signed a 5-year contract with Microsoft, thus ensuring mutually heightened advertising between the two companies.
THERE IS MUCH MORE!: THERE IS MUCH MORE! 1994
Viacom acquires Paramount Communications for $10 billion. Viacom was in a bidding war for Paramount with USA Networks.
1994
Viacom acquires Blockbuster Video from Huizenga for $8.4 billion
1995
Viacom sells Madison Square Garden and its related properties to Cablevision, and ITT for $1 billion
1995
Viacom sells its cable systems to John Malone's TCI
1995
(November) CBS is sold to the Westinghouse Corporation for $5.4 billion
Slide5: CBS buys American Record Company, owner of the Columbia Phonograph label. CBS renames the division Columbia Record Corp.
1941
CBS launches the first commercial black & white television broadcast
1949
Department of Justice announces the Paramount decree which forces the film studios to sell off their movie theaters
1954
Sumner Redstone takes control of National Amusements Inc. (NAI), a chain of movie theaters
1961
Murrow resigns from CBS
1964
CBS purchases the New York Yankees
1966
Diversified conglomerate, Gulf + Western, buys Paramount Pictures. Gulf + Western is owned by Charles Bluhdorn
Slide6: CBS teams up with a Japanese company to form CBS-Sony Records
1970
FCC's Fin-Syn ruling limits the financial interest television networks can have in syndicated programming. As a result, Viacom is formed after CBS spins off its television programming arm
1973
CBS sells Yankees to George Steinbrenner
1981
Dan Rather replaces Walter Cronkite as anchor on the CBS Evening News
1981
(August 1) MTV is launched