CBS, Viacom in Final Stages of Deal Talks--2nd Update
August 12 2019 - 11:18AM
Dow Jones News
By Benjamin Mullin and Dana Cimilluca
CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc. are in the final stages of negotiating
a deal that would reunite mogul Sumner Redstone's media empire in
the hopes of creating a more formidable competitor to the
entertainment industry's giants.
The two sides are still working out details, including the stock
exchange ratio for the transaction, but have narrowed it down to a
range of between 0.59 and 0.60 CBS share for each Viacom share,
according to people familiar with the matter. That ratio would
represent a small premium for CBS shareholders and value Viacom
slightly below its market value as of Friday, which was about $12
billion.
The exchange ratio is crucial because it determines the price of
a merger in an all-stock deal, such as the one under discussion
between CBS and Viacom.
CBS shares were flat in early trading Monday, while Viacom
shares fell 3.2%.
The all-stock deal, if completed, will bring under one roof such
recognizable American media properties as Viacom cable channels
like MTV and Nickelodeon, the Paramount film and TV studio and the
CBS broadcast network.
There is still a chance that the price could fall outside that
range or that the talks could break down, but the companies are
hoping to announce a deal as early as Monday, the people said.
Shari Redstone, vice chairman of both companies, has said she
believes that CBS and Viacom would be better positioned to compete
with larger rivals as one company. She is president of National
Amusements Inc., which controls both CBS and Viacom.
Viacom has been the weaker of the two companies over the past
several years, having suffered as cable-TV cord-cutting pulled down
ratings for its major networks. A merger with CBS would give Viacom
greater scale and more leverage in negotiations with advertisers
and cable-TV providers.
The deal, if it happens, will reverse a move, made in 2006, that
cleaved Viacom's then-booming cable networks division from CBS's
more mature TV business.
Write to Benjamin Mullin at Benjamin.Mullin@wsj.com and Dana
Cimilluca at dana.cimilluca@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 12, 2019 11:03 ET (15:03 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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