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CBS and Viacom seeking to merge... again


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2 hours ago, oknewsguy said:

It'll be weird seeing the Paramount part of the name at the end of syndicated shows like Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, and Inside Edition (as those even in the first Viacom era were not distributed by Paramount, they were distributed by King World) but I think they'll be fine and they will adjust to it eventually but for the first few months it'll probably look weird seeing the Paramount name on an ex-King World distributed show

 

As for the jingle I would do 3 options...

 

Either keep the current jingle they've used since 2007, use the jingle they used in the final months as CBS Paramount Television or bring back the 1987-2006 Paramount Television jingle

 

The choice is up to ViacomCBS

 

The first version of that logo used the last few notes of the old EN theme. I wouldn't mind if they went back to that.

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Speaking of the Studios, ViacomCBS doesn't have plans to combine CBS Television Studios and Paramoiunt Television... For now. They could do it later but as of now, no plans to combine the studios

22 minutes ago, Georgie56 said:

 

The first version of that logo used the last few notes of the old EN theme. I wouldn't mind if they went back to that.

Wasn't that when CBS Paramount Domestic Television had that last logo with that "Let's Turn On CBS" Jingle? If so, I'd be all in on ViacomCBS bringing that back

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On 8/13/2019 at 5:47 PM, Conrad said:

I agree. Actually, what would be even better is just calling it what it was before the split (Viacom). ViacomCBS reminds me a little of NBCUniversal (and yes, without the space specifically).

 

As I heard on NPR today, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish would be CEO of the combined company. That tells me that Viacom may be the nominal survivor. I may be wrong though. As CBS is the "old" Viacom and the "new" Viacom is the spin-off, maybe CBS will be the nominal survivor. I don't know (at least yet).

 

It'll be interesting to see what happens to the CBS network. This historically strong network has gone downhill in the past 5 or so years. Will the combined company make it even worse given that many Viacom cable networks basically over the past 9 years have been in bad shape, or what?

 

CBS will be the nominal survivor, since the deal is structured so that Viacom's shareholders will get .59625 CBS shares for every Viacom share.

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On 8/3/2019 at 3:44 PM, DENDude said:

Is this really a good idea?  I think this merger will backfire on them. CBS Corp has the better properties of the two it just seems as if Viacom doesn't have much of anything worth merging for. 

 

Case in point below:

CBS Corp has: CBS, The CW, CBS Sports Network, Decades, CBS Films, CBS All-Access, CBSN, CBS Money Watch, CNET, TV.com & CBS Television Stations Inc.  

Viacom has: CMT, MTV, MTV2, VH1, TV Land, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Nickeloden, BET, & Pluto TV. 

 

Of the viacom networks I only watch Paramount Network on a regular basis because it has Bar Rescue. I don't watch any of the other networks they own.   I watch CBS & CBS Sports Network & their CBSN Streaming service... 

You forgot Showtime Networks (Showtime, The Movie Channel, Flix and a share in Smithsonian Networks [Smithsonian Channel]) among CBS's assets. The merger does put a double-edged sword in the premium cable industry.

 

On one hand, it benefits Showtime greatly, because it will likely give it back access to films from Paramount Pictures and could also re-open opportunities to develop original content produced in conjunction with (the current iteration of) Paramount Television. Since Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate broke off their relationship with Showtime in 2008 to form Epix, the network's first-run movie slate has largely been composed of films from smaller studios (including sister company CBS Films).

 

For Epix, the loss of Paramount films will leave parent company MGM as the only "major" (really, mid-major) film studio to which the network will have access to films, placing it in only a modestly better situation in terms of film output than Showtime is in now. Whereas Showtime has been able to make up for the dearth of big-name films with its stronger original programming slate over the past decade, Epix can't rest on that laurel, as it was not only late to the original programming arena but its original programming hasn't even reached the level of attention as HBO, Showtime and even Starz's.

 

I always thought it didn't make much sense to have four (really, five, since Cinemax counts as one) major premium channels, especially since Disney decided to overlook premium cable completely for streaming a few years back, leaving fewer major studios for the existing ones to choose from. (I'm not sure if Disney will allow 20th Century Fox to continue to release its films through HBO/Cinemax once its current deal with those networks comes up for renewal or do to that studio's films what it did when its last contract with Starz ran out.) The ViacomCBS merger likely makes Epix's future a lot more murky now, and I think MGM has to make the decision whether to carry on with Epix or give up the ghost and sell its assets (minus the Epix name, I don't think it makes sense for either network to operate a fourth pay service) to Showtime or Starz.

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Hasn't there been talk that CBS wanted to buy Starz from Lionsgate?

 

It's possible that buying Epix outright will be yet another one of MGM's many bad decisions. The Barber era was light on those anyway, though he is probably thankful that he was ousted before he had to deal with this. We're definitely jumping the gun with regards to a Paramount return to Showtime though. Lionsgate-Summit has maintained its relationships with Epix and HBO.

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I look forward to the brand synergy and programming opportunities that are available to ViacomCBS now:

 

  • NCIS: Jersey Shore
  • NCIS: Vanuatu
  • CSI: Nashville
  • Big Country Brother
  • Survivor: New York
  • You Can't Do That on 60 Minutes
  • 48 Hours on Nick
  • Bluegrass Bloods

Okay, I'll stop now...

 

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16 minutes ago, mre29 said:

I look forward to the brand synergy and programming opportunities that are available to ViacomCBS now:

 

  • NCIS: Jersey Shore
  • NCIS: Vanuatu
  • CSI: Nashville
  • Big Country Brother
  • Survivor: New York
  • You Can't Do That on 60 Minutes
  • 48 Hours on Nick
  • Bluegrass Bloods

Okay, I'll stop now...

 

No, I got more!

 

The CBS version of the Digi-Bowl with Tony Romo

The Price Is Right: Spongebob Week

Lip Sync Battle: Post Super-Bowl Special

Let's Make a Deal : Loud House Week

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2 hours ago, mre29 said:

I look forward to the brand synergy and programming opportunities that are available to ViacomCBS now:

 

  • NCIS: Jersey Shore
  • NCIS: Vanuatu
  • CSI: Nashville
  • Big Country Brother
  • Survivor: New York
  • You Can't Do That on 60 Minutes
  • 48 Hours on Nick
  • Bluegrass Bloods

Okay, I'll stop now...

 

 

giphy.gif?cid=790b761116cd2fd1441b7f4b31

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9 hours ago, channel2 said:

Hasn't there been talk that CBS wanted to buy Starz from Lionsgate?

 

It's possible that buying Epix outright will be yet another one of MGM's many bad decisions. The Barber era was light on those anyway, though he is probably thankful that he was ousted before he had to deal with this. We're definitely jumping the gun with regards to a Paramount return to Showtime though. Lionsgate-Summit has maintained its relationships with Epix and HBO.

There has been some talk about ViacomCBS wanting to buy Lionsgate whole. Not just buying Starz but the whole Lionsgate company.

 

That doesn't gurantee that it will happen but either scenario could happen

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On 8/13/2019 at 11:44 AM, broadcastfan9751 said:

 

And the new company will be called "ViacomCBS".

I myself thought the remerged company would be called "CBS Paramount," but my mind is already made up. I love the new official name. I love ViacomCBS.

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On 8/16/2019 at 4:19 AM, DonDonP1 said:

I myself thought the remerged company would be called "CBS Paramount," but my mind is already made up. I love the new official name. I love ViacomCBS.

 

Viacom means nothing and it's a manufactured name that sounds like a computer maker or a cable company. I would have gone with CBS Paramount, myself.

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13 minutes ago, DirtyHarry said:

 

Viacom means nothing and it's a manufactured name that sounds like a computer maker or a cable company. I would have gone with CBS Paramount, myself.

 

That's not far from the truth, actually. I prefer Paramount Communications personally but CBS Paramount definitely should have been on the table. 

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On 8/15/2019 at 10:01 AM, channel2 said:

Hasn't there been talk that CBS wanted to buy Starz from Lionsgate?

 

It's possible that buying Epix outright will be yet another one of MGM's many bad decisions. The Barber era was light on those anyway, though he is probably thankful that he was ousted before he had to deal with this. We're definitely jumping the gun with regards to a Paramount return to Showtime though. Lionsgate-Summit has maintained its relationships with Epix and HBO.

That's because their contracts with both networks were signed prior to Lionsgate's purchase of Starz. It's likely that Lionsgate will move their film rights to Starz exclusively whenever its deals with Epix and HBO expire.

 

It should be noted that in May 1995, months after (the original) Viacom's purchase of Paramount from Gulf+Western in 1994 resulted in the two entities coming under common ownership and while the studio's existing agreement with HBO was still ongoing, Showtime secured a distribution agreement with Paramount to carry the studio's films beginning in 1997.

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As I posted on FB:

 

Quote

With AT&T's acquisition of WarnerMedia and the remerging of ViacomCBS, show properties are so robust and general focus is shifting that I have to ask, is it time to end the CW? It's not been a ratings juggernaut and with more resources gearing toward digital portfolios, is there still market space for the network? Especially considered when ViacomCBS could have a second-run programming schedule of their first run AllAccess shows and AT&T could leverage WarnerMedia programming across AT&T platforms and airline partnerships? As a network, CW has always laggard behind the big 4 networks, and with FOX having sold their assets to Disney, it's time that CW consider becoming either a more staunch ratings competitor to FOX who will nevermore produce their own programming, or it shuts down completely allowing the property owners to seek better revenue opportunities.

 

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15 hours ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

As I posted on FB:

 

 


Not the network entirely but I can see the name being retired and Warner Bros selling it's share to CBS, albeit continuing to produce several shows for the network (since CBS owns a share in several of the shows Warner is the senior partner in for the CW). The only shows I can see potentially leaving are the DC Comics shows. CBS would continue to maintain the affiliation agreements with stations, except for potentially moving in some cities and nothing major would change other than maybe seeing a Star Trek show being produced for the network. Where the network went from there though, would be anyone's guess. 

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43 minutes ago, ColtFromGulfcoast said:


Not the network entirely but I can see the name being retired and Warner Bros selling it's share to CBS, albeit continuing to produce several shows for the network (since CBS owns a share in several of the shows Warner is the senior partner in for the CW). The only shows I can see potentially leaving are the DC Comics shows. CBS would continue to maintain the affiliation agreements with stations, except for potentially moving in some cities and nothing major would change other than maybe seeing a Star Trek show being produced for the network. Where the network went from there though, would be anyone's guess. 

 

UPN v2, but the DC properties could remain on the network as first run until the network options not to renew. 

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19 hours ago, Darius22 said:

One could wonder what this means for CW? (since Viacom used to run UPN.)

Short version: this doesn't necessarily mean *anything* for the CW.

 

UPN had been sent to live off with CBS even before the Viacom-CBS divorce was finalized, and CBS kept full custody of CBS after the divorce went through. When UPN and The WB merged, CBS kept 50% ownership of the resulting network The CW.

 

The ViacomCBS merger doesn't have any obvious implications related to The CW structure or its ongoing operations. Any potential change to the future of The CW would really be entirely separate from anything related to the ViacomCBS merger, and would be entirely speculation (and therefore best to be discussed over in the Speculatron.)

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On 8/3/2019 at 4:44 PM, DENDude said:

 CBS Corp has the better properties of the two it just seems as if Viacom doesn't have much of anything worth merging for. 

 

Viacom has: CMT, MTV, MTV2, VH1, TV Land, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Nickeloden, BET, & Pluto TV

 

They really have gone downhill, haven't they? TV Land should have stuck to the 1960's sitcoms MeTV has. TV Land is virtually unwatchable. The only thing Viacom has that might be worth anything is Paramount Studios and even that's questionable.

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I could be wrong but I thought CBS can’t legally own CW outright due to laws that one company cannot own 2 broadcast networks. CBS had to get a special wavier to own 50%. Didn’t the gov give nbc the okay for Telemundo since it’s not one of the big 4-5

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