MTV chief Tom Freston has been talking to the Wall Street Journal about his plans for Viacom post-demerger. As previously reported, the Viacom empire is to split into two separate mini-empires: one called CBS taking in, erm, CBS and the company's radio stations, and another called Viacom, taking in Paramount and MTV. Freston will run the latter.
Freston told the WSJ that he wants the new streamlined Viacom to be "the best branded entertainment company in the world" adding that he looks forward to being able to invest more of MTV's rather healthy profits back into MTV, rather than the music network having to subsidise other parts of the old conglom.
On his plans, he says he wants the new Viacom to have content "on whatever platforms are out there or are going to be out there", adding that: "the focus we have always had here is on the consumer and consumer behaviour. You are going to be really lost if you don't understand what's going on with the consumer and you don't have an ability to create great content".