abhishreshthaa
Abhijeet S
Viacom, short for "Video & Audio Communications", is a United States-based media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television. As of 2010, it is the world's fourth-largest media conglomerate, behind The Walt Disney Company, Time Warner and News Corporation.
The current Viacom was created on December 31, 2005 as a spinoff from CBS Corporation, which changed its name from Viacom at the same time. CBS, not Viacom, retains control of the over-the-air broadcasting, TV production, outdoor advertising, subscription pay television (Showtime) and publishing assets (Simon & Schuster) formerly owned by the larger company. However, National Amusements remains the common majority shareholder of both firms. Predecessor firms of CBS Corporation include Gulf + Western, which later became Paramount Communications Inc., and Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
Strengths
* Leading global entertainment & content company
* Robust operational capabilities with strong market share
* Strong diversified portfolio
* Brand equity - MTV, BET, etc
* Reach - MTV reaches more than 500 million consumers worldwide
* Growing bottom line
Weaknesses
* RealNetworks performance has lagged compared to other companies' success in the same arena
* Generally lagging in online growth & innovation
Opportunities
* Mobile integration with music and video services
* Online growth
* Further music consolidation & future acquisitions
* Strategic alliances
* Capitalizing on growth of HDTV
Threats
* Online competitors who are more fragmented but faster to react and typically very innovative
* FCC regulation
* US economic slowdown
The current Viacom was created on December 31, 2005 as a spinoff from CBS Corporation, which changed its name from Viacom at the same time. CBS, not Viacom, retains control of the over-the-air broadcasting, TV production, outdoor advertising, subscription pay television (Showtime) and publishing assets (Simon & Schuster) formerly owned by the larger company. However, National Amusements remains the common majority shareholder of both firms. Predecessor firms of CBS Corporation include Gulf + Western, which later became Paramount Communications Inc., and Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
Strengths
* Leading global entertainment & content company
* Robust operational capabilities with strong market share
* Strong diversified portfolio
* Brand equity - MTV, BET, etc
* Reach - MTV reaches more than 500 million consumers worldwide
* Growing bottom line
Weaknesses
* RealNetworks performance has lagged compared to other companies' success in the same arena
* Generally lagging in online growth & innovation
Opportunities
* Mobile integration with music and video services
* Online growth
* Further music consolidation & future acquisitions
* Strategic alliances
* Capitalizing on growth of HDTV
Threats
* Online competitors who are more fragmented but faster to react and typically very innovative
* FCC regulation
* US economic slowdown