ViacomCBS merger expected to close December 4th

Viacom and CBS

We finally have a closing date for the long-anticipated merger between CBS and Viacom.

Reuters reported yesterday that the companies said the all-stock merger is expected to close next Wednesday, December 4th. Shares of the combined company are therefore expected to start trading under their new ticker symbols “VIACA” and “VIAC” on the Nasdaq from Thursday, December 5th.

Viacom and CBS have been planning for the merger since it was first announced back in August. The leadership team for the combined ViacomCBS is largely set, with current Viacom CEO Bob Bakish set to become CEO of ViacomCBS, and Shari Redstone, current chairman of the board of CBS, becoming chairman of the combined company.

The merger has been hotly anticipated by Star Trek fans for as long as many of us can remember. Since Viacom and CBS split back in 2005, the Star Trek franchise has also been “split”, with CBS retaining the rights to the IP, but Paramount Pictures (a subsidiary of Viacom) retaining film distribution rights. This split, in part, led to the Kelvin Timeline films of 2009 onward, directed by J.J. Abrams, seen by some fans as a symptom of the divergent IP ownership. With Viacom and CBS rejoining, there will be one less barrier to the Star Trek TV and film franchises coming back into alignment, which we haven’t seen since Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002.

Long story short: Star Trek fans, mark your calendars. As of December 5th, the franchise will be officially reunited under one roof.