Viacom (short for VIsual & Audio COMmunications) was an American media conglomerate and production company.
Viacom was highly profitable during the 1970s and 1980s distributing old CBS classics to syndication, including such landmark shows as I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, The Twilight Zone and All in the Family (which was later owned by Embassy/Columbia Pictures Television, now called Sony Pictures Television). They also syndicated shows for others, the biggest examples being The Cosby Show and Roseanne (which were produced by Carsey-Werner Productions; Carsey-Werner eventually got big enough to distribute their own shows, mainly because of the success of these two). Viacom also found time to package & distribute game shows such as Family Feud, You Don't Say!, Double Dare & Split Second.
In March 2005, Viacom parted ways with CBS not only due to the stagnating stock price but also due to the fight between CBS president Les Moonves & Tom Freston. The old Viacom became simply called "CBS Corporation" and all TV programs produced by Paramount Television (which was later called CBS Paramount, now "CBS Studios") as well as some broadcast & cable networks such as Showtime are owned under that name, while the movie studio Paramount and its newly revived television studio became companies of the new Viacom. In 2019, the new Viacom and CBS reunited, forming ViacomCBS. In 2022, ViacomCBS officially renamed itself Paramount after its iconic film studio (Paramount Pictures) and streaming service (Paramount+).
From 1976 to 1990, Viacom was credited with having its big logo called the "V of Doom". It is so called because until 1986, the giant odd-looking "V" would slowly zoom up to the screen after "A Viacom Presentation" zoomed in.
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