Viacom pt 2 - company Flashcards
Why do you want this role
Looking at the spec I think it incorporates a lot of the skills I’ve developed at Freesat and and Ampere, particularly the areas which I enjoy most about the role
Much of my current role revolves around collecting as much data as possible to forecast trends in content spend and in TV advertising revenue which Ampere’s clients will be very invested in
I really enjoy working with audience measurement data because I like understanding what drives consumer behaviour and the success of different types of content and I like working with numbers - I think there’s a lot that makes ViacomCBS interesting in terms of having so many strong individual brands that exist outside of TV as well
I’ve also really enjoyed the research side of my role which deals with understanding complex issues and the implications for business and for the wider industry - TV is a great subject matter for research
So while I think the role incorporates a lot of what I love about my current and previous roles, I think there’d be a lot for me to learn by coming at this from ViacomCBS’s unique place in the market side rather than a platform one
Having visited the Viacom offices in Camden I think it’d be a fantastic place to work, everyone who i’ve spoken to has spoke very highly of it
Why do you want to work at Viacom
I think what makes Viacom very interesting is its wide range of very strong individual brands which exist outside of TV, so i’d build an understanding of a range of spaces
And i think ViacomCBS is really interesting as it sits in so many places within the TV ecosystem - whether that be across linear, AVoD, SVoD, BVoD
I think while so many UK commercial broadcasters are under threat, which COVID has just accelerated, but Viacom is protected by being part of this much larger organisation so is able to keep delivering first rate content
Having previously been at platform side i think it’d be really interesting to me to come at this from the content partner side and really help build my media expertise more generally
Having visited the Viacom offices in Camden I think it’d be a fantastic place to work, everyone who i’ve spoken to has spoke very highly of it
Nice things
Who are Viacom’s competitors
In the UK on the linear side this will primarily be the other PSBs - BBC, ITV, C4, UKTV, Columbia pictures
But now existing in so many parts of the TV value chain - thats going to be the incumbents such as Netflix and APV in SVoD, YouTube in AVoD, ITV Hub, All4 in BVoD - but as mnau US studios lauch their DTC offers, the compeittion is only going to accelerate with Peacock and HBO Max launching in Europe
COVID will have hit these business very hard on the TV advertising side, i imagine the same is true of viacom, but viacom by virtue of being part of a much bigger global business is much better placed to whether that storm and continue delivering great content
What is good about Viacom
I think what makes Viacom very interesting is its wide range of very strong individual brands which exist outside of TV, so i’d build an understanding of a range of spaces
Exists in many places across the value chain
I think while so many UK commercial broadcasters are under threat, which COVID has just accelerated, but Viacom is protected by being part of this much larger organisation so is able to keep delivering first rate content
Viacom had a global audience which is an amazing asset to have when TV is such a competitive space and scale is everything
What are Viacom’s challenges
Like many broadcasters, it faces the decline of linear TV viewership and the resulting decline in TV advertising revenue - it doesnt seem like digital revenues are quite bridging this gap
TV is a fiercely competitive space to be with many big tech players entering the space with seemingly endless resources to throw at it, and the battle for audience is a fierce one
There is also the struggle to keep young audiences engaged and so many have left broadcast altogether. I think the type of brand which viacom puts it in a really god position in that respect - for example MTV content is the type thats not only geared toward young people but has such a big presence outside of broadcast, e.g. on social media
