David Nevins Wants to Build a “Virtuous Eco-System” Sharing Properties Like Star Trek Across Viacom and CBS

Viacom + CBS

Looking forward to their upcoming merger, the heads of CBS and Viacom are looking for opportunities to share resources across both companies.

Variety reports that during a Q&A at Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Media, Communications and Entertainment conference, Chief Creative Officer of CBS, David Nevins, used Star Trek as an example of the model they are trying to create. He said, “What we’re trying to do right now with ‘Star Trek’ is build that brand. We want it to get younger and more relevant to people.” The hope is that sharing resources across the Viacom and CBS properties will “create this virtuous eco-system between all of those platforms. If you’re smart about it you can create a lot of value,” Nevins said.

In the Q&A, Nevins pointed specifically to the deal between CBS and Nickelodeon for their new animated Star Trek show - which CBS would produce and Nickelodeon would distribute - as an example of the “virtuous eco-system” he described. However, he also noted that ViacomCBS is expected to be well-positioned as a producer of third-party content as well. CBS is currently signed up to produce the series “Diary of a Female President” for Disney+, for instance.

Nevins said, “We really believe in serving not only our own eco-system but serving people on the outside. There’s a lot of demand and a lot of suppliers pulling back.”