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Could Viacom put out the 'For Sale' sign?

With all the news about Tribune Media possibly putting itself up for sale, what about Viacom? There's talk of them selling a stake in Paramount Pictures, possibly to a Chinese company. Which other assets could be sold, and to whom? And could the entire company be on the block?
 
I wonder if this will have any impact on Channel Five in the UK, which Viacom have recently brought..
 
Very doubtful. Oceanfront property. They have lots of other non-core assets that are likely to go first.

They're in the middle of re-branding VH1 into something else.
Is MTV & VH1 really still 'oceanfront property'?
I guess they have their heritage space in the cable verse but they've been on cruise control programming for a decade+ easily.

I agree with Jonathan, Nickelodeon is their only core asset worth anything.
A far cry from the Warner/Amex Nickelodeon I grew up with but it is what is.
 
Is MTV & VH1 really still 'oceanfront property'?
I guess they have their heritage space in the cable verse but they've been on cruise control programming for a decade+ easily.

As I said, they're rebranding VH-1 right now. The head of Nickelodeon has been put in charge of fixing MTV. Those two things tell you neither are for sale.
 
As I said, they're rebranding VH-1 right now. The head of Nickelodeon has been put in charge of fixing MTV. Those two things tell you neither are for sale.

I suppose any dreams of a renewed emphasis on music (the "M" in "MTV") are strictly for the hopeless nostalgics. A-Ha isn't walking through that door, right? So what does the Nick boss do with MTV? Tweak its reality show lineup? More marathons for the demographically desirable binge-watching set?
 
I suppose any dreams of a renewed emphasis on music (the "M" in "MTV") are strictly for the hopeless nostalgics.

Exactly. If they want to revive interest in the channel, that won't do it. That train left the station 20 years ago.

Same with CMT. They will do occasional music shows, but these are LIFESTYLE channels. That's what they're attracting, and that's what they're selling.

What does the Nick boss do? They're developing more reality shows. Lots of them. They just need one hit.

The real problem with these channels isn't the programming, but the way viewers consume them. The metrics will need to change in order to be able to effectively monetize the actual viewers, who are either time shifting or viewing online.
 
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^I agree. They should have changed those names (MTV and VH1) years ago when they started losing focus on music programming.
 
^I agree. They should have changed those names (MTV and VH1) years ago when they started losing focus on music programming.

That's like focusing on radio call letters. No one cares. The MTV brand is solid, and two generations have grown up without it being a music video channel. That's not the problem with MTV. The problem is their audience doesn't watch in real time. Branding won't change that. Talk to people in the demo.
 
Is MTV & VH1 really still 'oceanfront property'?
I guess they have their heritage space in the cable verse but they've been on cruise control programming for a decade+ easily.

I agree with Jonathan, Nickelodeon is their only core asset worth anything.
A far cry from the Warner/Amex Nickelodeon I grew up with but it is what is.

Comedy Central and Spike are not more valuable?
 
Everything is for sale, always. As BigA already said, VIacom is spending big dollars to prepare for face-lifting several of their core brands. Could that mean they want to bolster their business for the long haul, or fix things up for a prospective buyer? I'd say potentially both, or neither.
 
I hope so. The company is so ridiculous. There was no reason for the MTV Movie Awards to be on so many of the damn Viacom Channels last night.

MTV
MTV2
VH-1
VH-1 Classic Rock
Comedy Central
TVLAND
BET
CMT

Of course there was: getting a product with star power and pop-culture currency on as many outlets as possible to maximize viewership. The show wasn't out of place on any of those channels.
 
Of course there was: getting a product with star power and pop-culture currency on as many outlets as possible to maximize viewership. The show wasn't out of place on any of those channels.


does CMT even air anything related to country music anymore, even redneck reality shows?
 
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