The premium channel jv involving Viacom/Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate will allow Viacom to "take greater control of our destiny… that’s our mission," said pres/CEO Philippe Dauman Wed at the Sanford Bernstein conference. Dauman said the venture’s content ownership is a critical benefit, helping Viacom brand its stable of cable nets, which collectively own a 23% share of linear ad-supported cable content and 35% of that on cable VOD. He framed Paramount’s former content deal with Showtime as restrictive and said the jv assures partners will get ample "revenue for [film] pay windows" while also allowing for the creation of TV product "hopefully as great as ‘The Sopranos’." So far, Dauman said prospective distribution partners are excited about the net’s interactive and multi-platform possibilities. "We’ve never seen so much interest, so quickly at the executive level," he said.

The Daily

Subscribe
Friday–September 5

Football Forecast: NFL-YouTube Experiment a Sign of the Future

Tonight’s the first time an NFL game will exclusively stream live and without a paywall on YouTube, and while it’s expected to attain a hefty number of viewers, the question then becomes whether YouTube—and the networks of internet providers enabling access—can handle the blitz.

Read the Full Issue
The Skinny is delivered on Tuesday and focuses on the cable profession. You'll stay in the know on the headlines, topics and special issues you value most. Sign Up

Calendar

Sep 11
2025 Faxies Awards Faxies Nominations Open! Final deadline: 4/4/25
Full Calendar

Jobs

Seeking an INDUSTRY JOB or hiring for one?
VIEW JOBS

In conjunction with our sister brand, Cynopsis, we are offering hiring managers a deep pool of media-savvy, skilled candidates at a range of experience levels and sectors. The result will be an even more robust industry job board, to help both employers and job seekers.

Contact us at marketing@cynopsis.com, for more information about posting a job on the website and our Jobs newsletter, sent twice weekly to 85,000 media professionals.