Hollywood Breakdown
ViacomCBS and the triumph of Shari Redstone
This week saw the long-awaited recombining of CBS and Viacom. To make it happen, Shari Redstone, daughter of Sumner Redstone, had to roll up her sleeves and outlast several other CEOs in the process.
By Matthew Belloni • • 4m ListenAt last, Shari Redstone, the daughter of Sumner Redstone, has prevailed in bringing the two big pieces of her father's empire back together. CBS and Viacom are now combined under the name ViacomCBS, though it's still unclear exactly what the endgame will be. This recombination of the two companies is likely the first step of many. Even though the new company is large, it's not nearly as big as some of the other media behemoths. To survive, ViacomCBS will either have to buy other companies or sell itself...or maybe bulk up first and then look to be sold.
