According to the New York Post Sumner Redstone - the CEO and majority shareholder of MTV/CBS parent company Viacom - wanted to give MTV head Tom Freston the top job at Viacom after Mel Karmazin's departure last week. However he gave in to his 'governance committee' who insisted Karmazin's job should be split between Freston and CBS boss Les Moonves.
The logic behind that insistence is that Moonves, while friends with Freston, would probably not have been happy reporting to him. With rumours Karmazin might get a top job at Disney, Viacom insiders were concerned Moonves would quit CBS and take up a job there instead.
Word is the Viacom board now want to see how Freston and Moonves both perform in the next three years prior to the time when Redstone is scheduled to stand down from the CEO's role, the better of the two getting that job. Although both Freston and Moonves are said to be getting on together well, that competition has got to make things a little bit stressful over the coming months.