CBS and Viacom merged to become ViacomCBS last year. CBS and Viacom, corporate cousins for the past decade, are now one. There might be several options for Shari ⦠Viacom bought CBS in 1999 for $36.5 billion, in a deal that CNN at the time predicted would "bring the network of Dan Rather in touch with the ⦠CBS and Viacom stock have each dropped about 20% since the merger was announced in August. The definitive source for breaking news, thought leadership and feature stories about ViacomCBS and the future of the ever-changing entertainment industry. Aug 13, 2019. In 1971, this syndication division was spun off amid new FCC rules forbidding television networks from owning syndication companies. We have a global reach of more than 4.3 billion subscribers across more than 180 countries. The merger ⦠CBS and Viacom finally have agreed to a merger, but the combined company still wants to get bigger. (The rules were abolished completely in 1993.) CBS closed Tuesday down 1.3%, or 52 cents, to $39.34. The first incarnation of Viacom Inc. (derived from "Video & Audio Communications") was an American media conglomerate.It began as CBS Films, the syndication division of the CBS television network in 1952; it was renamed CBS Enterprises in 1968, renamed Viacom in 1970, and spun off into its own company in 1971. The merger was a reunion for the two companies, which split in 2006. CBS Corporation and Viacom Inc. âThrough the combination of CBSâs and Viacomâs complementary assets, capabilities and talented teams, ViacomCBS will create and deliver ⦠ViacomCBS Announces Completion of the Merger of CBS and Viacom. Oct 17, 2019. Our brands are #1 in key U.S. target demos, including total audience, kids, adults, African-Americans and Hispanics. Oct 24, 2019. Shari Redstone's long-sought merger of the two media companies took effect on ⦠CBS Studios International and MTV Networks International/Viacom International Media Networks 5Spike Big CBS Prime (joint venture with Reliance Broadcast Network ) Amendment No. Announce Expected Closing Date of Merger. Viacom ⦠Nov 25, 2019. CBS Form S-4 Registration Statement. 1 to CBS S-4 Registration Statement. In 1952, CBS formed CBS Films, a division which handled syndication rights for CBS's library of television series.This division was renamed CBS Enterprises Inc. in January 1968, and again renamed Viacom in 1970.