Viacom - Why They're Hated

Summary

This video delves into the history and controversies of Viacom, one of the largest media companies shaping our culture with iconic shows like South Park and SpongeBob. It explores the company's size and power, its acquisitions like MTV and Paramount, and the impact of its leaders, including Sumner Redstone. The script also covers Viacom's legal battles, like the YouTube copyright lawsuit, and various criticisms of its networks, reflecting on the complex legacy that has stirred both admiration and negative sentiments among the public.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Viacom is one of the largest media companies, known for shaping culture through its various channels like Nickelodeon, MTV, and CBS.
• 🎬 The company originated from CBS due to FCC regulations against monopoly, aiming to limit the control of major TV networks over the industry.
• 📺 Viacom has grown significantly by acquiring key assets such as MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and Paramount Pictures, expanding its influence in the entertainment industry.
• 🚫 The company has faced criticisms for its size and power, with concerns over its control over a significant part of the entertainment industry.
• 🤔 Individual networks owned by Viacom, such as Comedy Central and BET, have faced criticism for their content, which some viewers find inappropriate or offensive.
• 📹 The YouTube copyright lawsuit filed by Viacom in 2007 against YouTube raised questions about copyright responsibility and the freedom of the internet.
• 💡 The outcome of the lawsuit highlighted the importance of systems that allow copyright holders to take down infringing content, impacting the future of online content sharing.
• 🧐 Sumner Redstone, the longtime leader of Viacom, was a controversial figure whose actions and personal life led to negative perceptions of the company.
• 🏆 The Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction incident in 2004, involving Janet Jackson and aired on Viacom-owned MTV, led to significant backlash and FCC complaints.
• 📚 Viacom's involvement with Blockbuster, including its spin-off and financial decisions, may have contributed to the downfall of the once-popular video rental chain.
• 🐾 The acquisition and management of the digital pet website Neopets by Viacom from 2005 to 2014 may have left a negative impression on users of the platform.

Q & A

What is Viacom and why is it significant in the media industry?

Viacom is one of the largest media companies that has been instrumental in shaping popular culture through its various networks and productions. It is significant because it owns or has owned networks like Nickelodeon, MTV, and CBS, and has been involved in major media events and controversies.

How did Viacom originate and what was its initial role in the media landscape?

Viacom originated as part of CBS and was separated due to FCC regulations in 1970 aimed at preventing a monopoly in the television industry. Its initial role was to syndicate CBS shows and provide cable services, quickly becoming a major player in the media industry.

What major acquisitions did Viacom make in its history?

Viacom made several major acquisitions, including MTV and Nickelodeon in 1985, the film studio Paramount in 1994, and the movie retail chain Blockbuster Video also in 1994. It also acquired Comedy Central after merging with HBO's Comedy Channel in 1992.

Why did Viacom and CBS split and then reunite multiple times?

Viacom and CBS split in 2005 due to various strategic reasons and then reunited in 2019. The split in 2005 was part of a larger trend of media companies separating their broadcasting and cable assets. The reunion was aimed at creating a stronger entity in the evolving media landscape.

What was the controversy surrounding Viacom's lawsuit against YouTube?

Viacom sued YouTube for $1 billion in 2007, claiming copyright infringement as thousands of clips owned by Viacom were posted on YouTube for free viewing. The lawsuit raised questions about who is responsible for copyright violations on user-generated content platforms.

What are some criticisms directed at Viacom's individual networks?

Criticisms include Comedy Central airing content that some consider inappropriate or offensive, MTV moving away from its music roots, BET being accused of perpetuating stereotypes, and Nickelodeon facing complaints about a decline in the quality and creativity of its shows.

Who is Sumner Redstone and why is he a controversial figure associated with Viacom?

Sumner Redstone was the longtime leader and majority owner of Viacom. He is a controversial figure due to his aggressive business tactics, conflicts with celebrities like Tom Cruise, and personal scandals involving his family and relationships.

What was the significance of the Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction incident involving Viacom?

The 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, produced by MTV (owned by Viacom), featured a wardrobe malfunction where Janet Jackson's breast was briefly exposed to 150 million viewers. This incident led to a record number of complaints to the FCC and significant backlash against Viacom.

How did Viacom's involvement with Blockbuster potentially contribute to its downfall?

Viacom may have contributed to Blockbuster's downfall by spinning off the company with significant debt in 2004. This debt made it more challenging for Blockbuster to compete in the changing media landscape, especially with the rise of digital streaming services.

What is the connection between Viacom and the website Neopets, and why might this be a point of contention for some?

Viacom bought Neopets, a website for interacting with digital pets, in 2005 and resold it in 2014. Some users may have negative feelings towards Viacom if they believe the site's quality or direction changed for the worse during Viacom's ownership.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Influence and Controversies of Viacom

This paragraph introduces Viacom as a major media company with a significant impact on culture, despite not being a household name. It mentions iconic shows like South Park and SpongeBob, and how Viacom's size and control over the entertainment industry have raised concerns about monopoly. The company's history, starting from its separation from CBS to avoid monopoly concerns, its acquisitions of MTV, Nickelodeon, and Paramount, and its various ventures into cable and movie industries are outlined. The paragraph also touches on the negative sentiments towards Viacom, hinting at the reasons that will be explored in the video.

05:02

📺 Criticisms and Legal Battles of Viacom's Networks

The second paragraph delves into the criticisms faced by Viacom's individual networks. Comedy Central is noted for its edgy content that has upset parents and viewers. BET is criticized for perpetuating stereotypes. Nickelodeon's decline in creativity and over-reliance on shows like SpongeBob are discussed. The paragraph also covers the infamous YouTube copyright lawsuit, where Viacom sued for $1 billion over unauthorized content, and the accusations of Viacom secretly uploading content for litigation. The narrative paints Viacom as a company that has faced significant backlash over content and legal strategies.

10:03

🤔 The Polarizing Figures and Events Associated with Viacom

This paragraph discusses the controversial figures and events linked to Viacom that have contributed to public dislike. It covers Sumner Redstone's leadership and his involvement in various scandals, including his conflict with Tom Cruise. It also touches on Les Moonves and the sexual harassment claims against him, the Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction incident involving Janet Jackson, and the financial strategies that may have contributed to Blockbuster's downfall. Lastly, it mentions the acquisition and management of Neopets, which may have left a negative impression on its user base.

Keywords

💡Viacom

Viacom is a significant media conglomerate known for its influence in shaping popular culture through various television channels and film production. In the video, it is mentioned as the company behind iconic shows like 'South Park' and 'SpongeBob SquarePants', and as the owner of networks such as Nickelodeon, MTV, and CBS. The script discusses the company's history, acquisitions, and controversies, making it central to the video's theme of media influence and corporate power.

💡Cultural Influence

Cultural influence refers to the impact a company or entity has on the values, behaviors, and norms of a society. The video emphasizes how Viacom, through its media channels and content, has played a role in shaping culture, particularly with its programming on networks like Nickelodeon that have been part of many viewers' childhoods.

💡Media Monopoly

A media monopoly occurs when a single company or entity dominates the media landscape, potentially limiting diversity in content and viewpoints. The script discusses how Viacom's origins were tied to a monopoly concern, as it was spun off from CBS due to FCC regulations aimed at preventing media conglomerates from having too much control over the industry.

💡Syndication

Syndication in the media context refers to the practice of licensing television programs and films for broadcast by multiple stations or networks. The video mentions that Viacom generated significant sales by syndicating CBS shows, which is a key part of how media companies expand their reach and revenue.

💡Comedy Central

Comedy Central is a cable network known for its edgy and often controversial humor. The script mentions it as an example of a Viacom-owned channel that has faced criticism for its content, illustrating the company's role in pushing the boundaries of what is aired on television.

💡MTV

MTV, originally known as Music Television, is a channel that has significantly evolved from its music-focused roots to include reality shows and other programming. The video discusses how this shift has been a point of criticism, with viewers feeling that the channel has strayed from its original purpose.

💡BET

BET, which stands for Black Entertainment Television, is a network that has been criticized for perpetuating stereotypes and negatively depicting African-Americans. The script uses this as an example of how Viacom's networks have faced backlash for their content and the impact it may have on societal perceptions.

💡Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon is a children's television network that has been criticized for a perceived decline in the quality and creativity of its programming. The video script discusses how fans feel the channel has become too reliant on established shows like 'SpongeBob SquarePants', reflecting concerns about the channel's direction under Viacom's ownership.

💡Copyright Lawsuit

A copyright lawsuit involves legal action taken to protect the rights of creators and owners of intellectual property. The script details Viacom's $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube for copyright infringement, which raised questions about responsibility for user-uploaded content and highlighted the company's efforts to control distribution of its material online.

💡Sumner Redstone

Sumner Redstone was the longtime leader and majority owner of Viacom, known for his significant impact on the company's direction and growth. The video script discusses his business acumen and controversial actions, such as his conflict with Tom Cruise, which contributed to public perception of Viacom and its leadership.

💡Blockbuster

Blockbuster was a movie and video game rental chain that was once owned by Viacom. The script mentions how Viacom's financial maneuvers with Blockbuster before spinning it off may have contributed to the company's eventual decline, reflecting on the company's business decisions and their consequences.

Highlights

Viacom is among the biggest all-time media companies with significant influence on culture.

Viacom is responsible for popular shows like South Park and SpongeBob.

The company owns networks such as Nickelodeon, MTV, and CBS.

Viacom originated from CBS due to concerns of monopoly and FCC regulations.

Viacom's early success was from syndicating CBS shows and providing cable services.

Showtime was created by Viacom to compete with HBO.

MTV and Nickelodeon were acquired by Viacom in a significant $500 million deal.

Comedy Central was formed by merging Viacom's HA with HBO's Comedy Channel.

Paramount was acquired by Viacom, marking a major milestone in the company's history.

Blockbuster was bought and later spun off by Viacom, contributing to its downfall.

Viacom and CBS have a complex history of separations and reunions.

Viacom's size and control over the entertainment industry have raised concerns.

Criticisms of Viacom's networks include content issues on Comedy Central, MTV's shift away from music, and BET's racial stereotypes.

Nickelodeon has been criticized for a decline in the quality and creativity of its shows.

Viacom's lawsuit against YouTube for copyright infringement raised questions about internet freedom.

The lawsuit was settled with undisclosed terms, highlighting the importance of copyright systems.

Sumner Redstone, Viacom's leader, was a controversial figure with a complex legacy.

Redstone's conflicts with celebrities like Tom Cruise and his management style drew criticism.

Leadership controversies, including Les Moonves and the Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction, affected Viacom's image.

Blockbuster's financial struggles and eventual bankruptcy have led to negative sentiments towards Viacom.

The acquisition and management of Neopets by Viacom have also drawn criticism from fans.

Transcripts

[Music]

Viacom may not be one of those names

that you instantly recognize or have

heard a lot before but I promise you

they're among the biggest all-time media

companies I am confident that anybody

who has seen any movies or TV shows over

the past few decades has seen stuff put

out by Viacom for example without them

we probably wouldn't have shows like

South Park or SpongeBob it's amazing how

companies like this help shape our

culture that reminds me whenever I hear

that name I always think about that

animation that they would play after TV

shows on Nickelodeon back in the

day via the reason it was played is

because they are the owner of

Nickelodeon in addition to many others

like MTV and CBS now for a variety of

reasons this company hasn't had the best

reputation and I know many people are

passionate about this so I want to be

clear that I'm not trying to change your

feelings about them one way or the other

this video is meant to be as objective

as possible I have simply witnessed a

lot of negative feelings toward Viacom

and I want to explore where they come

from so here we go the first reason that

I've identified behind this hatred has

to do with their size and power as I

said they are one of the biggest media

companies that many would argue are too

big they control a significant part of

the entertainment industry and that does

raise concerns in fact Viacom itself

actually originated as part of CBS and

was separated from it because of

concerns of a monopoly in 1970 the FCC

was concerned that the three main TV

networks ABC NBC and CBS were gaining

too much control over the industry to

combat that they made a rule that said

networks couldn't Syndicate their own

shows nor could they provide cable

services to people kind of a way to

separate the cable from the traditional

networks and limit their power overall

so to comply with the rule CBS took

those parts of their business and spun

them off into a separate company called

viacon meaning right from the beginning

they were pretty big generating almost

$20 million in sales by syndicating CBS

shows like I Love Lucy and providing

cable to 990,000 subscribers in 1976

they started the movie channel Showtime

meant to compete directly with HBO in

1985 they acquired MTV and a $500

million deal that also included some

lesser known networks at the time called

VH1 and Nickelodeon and they have been

the owners ever since so it was under

viacom's control where both of those

channels became household names in 1992

it's strange Viacom had a comedy channel

called ha and HBO had a comedy channel

called Comedy Channel that were merged

together to create Comedy Central they

split the ownership initially but Viacom

bought out the other half in 2003

becoming the full owner by 1994 they

were growing away from Cable Systems but

toward movies when they spent 8 billion

dollar to buy the film studio Paramount

I would say a pretty major acquisition

because it included the Production

Studios an extensive library of films

previously produced by Paramount and a

major book publisher called Simon and

Schuster also in 1994 Viacom bought the

3600 store movie retail chain

Blockbuster video I mean that was an

eventful year right buying Paramount and

Blockbuster within a few months of each

other but they did spin off Blockbuster

about a decade later then in 1999 they

acquired CBS in a $ 37 billion stock

deal bringing them back together with

the company that they had started from

almost 30 years earlier I don't want to

get too far into this one but I should

mention that they split apart in 2005

and then came back together in 2019 so

kind of a complicated history there in

the year 2000 they bought the cable

channel bet for $2.3 billion in stock

and the final thing that I want to

mention right here is in 2005 they

almost bought Myspace but didn't offer

to pay as much money as News Corp so it

went to them instead so that is pretty

big it's a company that's been in

control of so much of our entertainment

over the years and you could see how

that could raise concern or even

negative feelings from many people but

honestly they are not unique in that way

most of the stuff that we watch comes

from a major company like this which can

also be concerning but I want to

continue with my list by talking about

things that are much more unique to

Viacom and one of those would be the

various criticisms toward their

individual networks and you'll see what

I mean by that as I go through some of

the biggest ones Comedy Central is

probably one of the edgiest channels on

basic cable do you remember how late at

night they used to air the secret stash

it was like a lot of uncensored stuff I

don't know it's just an example of some

of the outrageous comedy that they've

aired over the years it has upset

numerous parents and really anybody that

thinks that the jokes are content may

have been inappropriate or crossed the

line of some kind MTV I think the

biggest criticism of Music Television is

that they've moved away from music that

was pretty much all they did when Viacom

bought them and they have since gone in

a much much different direction bet

stands for Black Entertainment

Television and they've been criticized

for perpetuating stereotypes depicting

African-Americans in a negative way I

can't say that I'm personally too

familiar with the programming nor am I

the one to speak on it anyway but there

has been concern over it Nickelodeon

many fans of the channel will tell you

that the quality of the shows are just

not what they used to be the creativity

is lacking and they become too reliant

on proven shows like Spongebob I've

actually made an entire video about that

but for good or bad Viacom has been the

one behind it they've been behind all of

these so if you're not happy with the

direction that MTV or Nickelodeon has

taken or if you take issue with the

content over at Comedy Central or bet

then you may have some negative feelings

toward Viacom next up is the YouTube

copyright lawsuit the website that we

are on right now in pretty much all of

social media would be very different if

Viacom had been successful in doing what

they wanted to do in 2007 Viacom sued

YouTube for $1 billion they said that

thousands of clips that they own the

rights to had been posted on YouTube for

everybody to see for free it basically

raised the question of who is to blame

for this if someone posts something on

YouTube or any platform really and it

violates a copyright law who is

responsible is it the person who posted

it or the site that they posted it too

there were plenty of questions like that

floating around in the early days of

social media well Viacom was trying to

hold YouTube responsible it was a tricky

drawn out case involving the Digital

Millennium Copyright Act but it was

ultimately settled in 2014 undisclosed

terms and apparently there was no money

exchanged but it turns out that

everything's good as long as there's a

system in place that allows Viacom or

whoever holds the copyrights to take

down the videos that violate it here's a

weird part of it during the case the

chief Council for YouTube even accused

Viacom of secretly uploading videos to

the site and then complaining about them

being there they say Viacom even

intentionally made videos look worse so

that they appeared to be stolen or

uploaded by others even using phony

emails to do it from untraceable

computers it seems like there was some

crazy stuff going on during that time I

recommend you look further into the

details but most of it was making Viacom

look like the villain there were

legitimate copyright concerns of course

but they were seen as the ones trying to

control the freedom of YouTube and the

internet in general if they had won that

initial lawsuit you probably wouldn't be

watching this video on YouTube right now

the next reason for people to

potentially dislike Viacom is suar

redstone the longtime leader and

majority owner of Viacom and easily more

associated with the company than any

other individual early in his career he

worked with the army during World War II

earned a law degree from Harvard and

went on to join his family's chain of

movie theaters called National

amusements by 1987 that company had

grown big enough through its Core

Business and outside Investments to

actually buy Viacom for $3.4 billion I

mean he was a successful businessman

known for taking risks that generally

worked out it was under his leadership

that they bought Paramount and

Blockbuster and CBS he is quite a figure

where you can find a lot to respect but

also a lot to criticize you might

remember this but in 2005 2006 Tom Cruz

was all over the news talking about

scientology and jumping on Oprah's couch

well Redstone felt that the image he was

portraying was hurting his movie sales

specifically for Mission Impossible 3

that had been made with Paramount so

Redstone ended his contract said that he

didn't want to work with him anymore and

banned him from the Paramount lot

something that Tom Cruz fans did not not

appreciate so if you support Tom Cruz

and his movies you might not be a fan of

redstone or Viacom that's like the

incident that stands out but from what I

can tell he was overall short-tempered

and just hard to get along with he was

also very reluctant to ever give up

control of the company when he was

approaching 90 years old he said I have

no intention of ever retiring or of

dying though he did eventually die in

the year 2020 at 97 years old there's

also a number of scandals involving his

personal life as far as his family and

wife and relationships I don't want to

go too far into those I just want to

convey that this may not have been the

most likable person all right I'm only

halfway through the list but I'm going

to start moving much faster the

remaining for are definite sources of

hatred among certain people but I don't

believe to the same extent and they're

much simpler and more isolated while I'm

on the topic of the leaders I guess I

should mention Les moonves he has been

strongly connected with the company and

that when Viacom and CBS split up in

2005 he went on to be the CEO of the CBS

parts there have been sexual harassment

claims against him he's someone who's

not too well liked by a lot of the

public for multiple reasons or by many

of the people he's worked with like

Howard Stern I told you I'm going to go

fast here but definitely some

controversial leadership over at Viacom

another reason behind the hatred would

be the infamous Super Bowl wardrobe

malfunction I think most people have

heard about this before during the 2004

Super Bowl halftime show Janet Jackson's

breast was briefly Exposed on television

and broadcast to 150 million viewers the

show was put on by MTV owned by Viacom

of course and they were at the center of

it it upset so many people to a point

where there was a record 500,000

complaints filed with the FCC all people

who were probably not too happy with

Viacom another reason involves

Blockbuster I wouldn't go so far as to

say that Viacom was responsible for

killing them but they may have

contributed they spun off the company in

2004 but just before they did they

borrowed over $900 million and

distributed it as a special dividend

essentially taking out a loan and giving

the money to the shareholders of

Blockbuster but considering Viacom owned

82% of Blockbuster most of that money

just went to them so when Blockbuster

was put out on their own it was with all

of this extra debt which you know made

things harder so if you miss Blockbuster

you may have some bad feelings toward

Viacom my final reason is Neopets it's a

website where you interact with digital

pets and I'll admit that I have never

played with Neopets so I can't say too

much about this but I do know that they

were bought by Viacom in 2005 and resold

in 2014 so if you dislike what was

happening with neopat during those years

again you may have some bad feelings

toward Viacom let me know in the

comments how do you feel about Viacom do

you like them or if you dislike them is

it because of one of the reasons that I

talked about or is there something else

and of course there's a lot more that

could be talked about this is one of the

biggest media companies so I chose to

focus on the parts that I felt were the

most important or the most interesting

please please feel free to add to the

conversation and any other thoughts you

have about Viacom or anything else I

talked about in this video leave them in

the comments I'd like to hear what you

have to

say thank you for watching

[Music]