Viacom Names Robert Bakish Acting CEO

Robert Bakish

As expected, VIACOM named ROBERT BAKISH Acting CEO, starting NOVEMBER 15th when interim CEO TOM DOOLEY steps down.

BAKISH, who was VIACOM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NETWORKS CEO, will probably hold the job until VIACOM and CBS figure out their re-merger plan, and LES MOONVES is put in charge of both entities, which were originally split a decade ago.

At the same time, BAKISH was also named CEO of the newly launched VIACOM GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, which combines his former home with the MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, which includes MTV, COMEDY CENTRAL, LOGO, VH1 and SPIKE, where they will be joined by TV LAND and CMT.  The KIDS AND FAMILY GROUP will be renamed the NICKELODEON GROUP.

The CEO job has been vacant since PHILIPPE DAUMANN was ousted by SUMNER and SHARI REDSTONE last summer. SHARI REDSTONE called BAKISH "an exemplary forward-thinker" who "embraces disruption and brings teams along with him."

BAKISH has been with VIACOM since 1997, running VIACOM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NETWORKS, previously MTV NETWORKS INTERNATIONAL, since 2007.

Stated BAKISH: “Content is the lifeblood of our business and my near-term focus will be to nurture our creative output and brands, ensuring they remain distinctive, differentiated and powerful in an increasingly competitive global media landscape.” 

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