Viacom

By Harry Morgan-Jones

Viacom

Viacom are a media conglomerate with 19.3% (right as of 2011) of the US/Canadian market share. This is the largest market share in North America.

They own a variety of media industries, such as:

TV STATIONSViacom owns 10 TV stations,

including:

• MTV

• MTV 2

• Nickelodeon

• Comedy Central

• VH1

• BET

This could be useful for getting a film released as the company can advertise these films during advert breaks and therefore will increase the chances of the film being successful. They can also book actors onto talk shows they own to increase interest.

RADIO STATIONSViacom own 3 radio stations,

including:

• MTV Radio

• BET Radio

• Image Radio Limited

This could be useful for getting a film released as they can advertise the film during the breaks in communication, as well as interviewing potential cast members to increase public interest.

PUBLISHINGIn terms of publishing, Viacom

publishes two industries.

Music:

• Extreme Music Library

• Director’s Cuts Production Magazine

Magazine

• Nickelodeon Magazine

This could be useful for getting a film released as they can advertise inside the magazines, depending on the target audience this will have varying degrees of success (eg. A film aimed at 8-12 year olds would have a greater success advertising in Nickelodeon than in Sports Illustrated)

FILMViacom own the following film

companies:

• Paramount Pictures (including DreamWorks,

Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies

and Paramount Entertainment)

• They also own 50% of Viacom 18 (India)

This could be useful for getting a film released as the company can advertise movie trailers during other movies they distribute (in cinema and on DVD).

OTHERThey also use various online

holdings, such as:

• MTV.com

• VH1.com

• Shockwave.com

They also own:

• MTV Games

• MTV Mobile

Symbiosis

Another way for a film to benefit from the power of cross-media convergence is for a business to sign a symbiotic deal with other companies which are mutually beneficial.

One example of this is the release of the Transformers Movie in 2007. The film was released alongside the sale of toy characters from the movie in Toys ‘R’ Us, as well as joint-advertising with Pepsi and General Motors.

Hasbro have then expanded into further film franchise releases, with two more Transformers films and other sci-fi releases from magazines such as Marvel and DC Comics.

Glossary

Multi-media Conglomerate - is a company that owns large numbers of companies in various mass media such as television, radio, publishing, movies and the Internet. Media conglomerates strive for policies that facilitate the control of markets across the globe.

Horizontal Integration - The acquisition of additional business activities that are at the same level of the value chain in similar or different industries.

Cross-Media Convergence – Convergence is the process by which a range of media platforms are integrated with a single piece of media technology

Synergy - The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

Symbiotic - A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence