Viacom’s Sumner Redstone, Les Moonves and Tom Freston revived Showtime’s erstwhile "No Limits" tagline as each man pocketed compensation in salary, bonus and stock options worth $52mln-$56mln in ’04, a year when the company’s stock fell 18%. An SEC filing after market close Fri disclosed the trio garnered a total of $160mln. Viacom noted the package was based on operating performance, not stock price. The filing said Redstone’s salary was $5mln, his bonus $16.5mln; Freston’s salary was $4mln, his $16mln; and Moonves’s salary was $6mln, with a $14mln bonus. The NY Times’ quoted compensation critics and Wall St analysts blasting the men’s package as extravagant, even citing unnamed media execs who charged the filing was made late Fri to avoid attracting attention.

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Tuesday–December 23

CFX Review: The Five Industry Stories that Defined 2025

Sometimes, to look forward, you’ve got to look back. As we head into 2026, the CFX editors reflect on the year that was, recapping what they believe were the five biggest stories of the past 12 months.

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