SUMNER REDSTONE

Sumner Redstone was born Sumner Murray Rothstein in 1923 in Boston. He graduated from Harvard College at 20 and then Harvard Law School in 1947.

He practiced tax law briefly before joining his father's National Amusements, a drive-in theater chain. He grew that business into a major multiplex operator with over 1,500 screens.

In 1987, he won a hostile takeover of Viacom, then worth $3.4 billion. He acquired Paramount Communications in 1994 for $10 billion after a prolonged bidding war with Barry Diller.

In 1999, he merged Viacom with CBS Corporation in a $37 billion deal. At its peak, Viacom controlled MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Paramount Pictures, BET, and CBS.

He split Viacom and CBS into separate companies in 2006. He remained executive chairman of both until his health declined sharply in 2016.

National Amusements (family theater chain, controlled through life). Viacom Inc.

(acquired 1987, built into global media giant). Paramount Communications (acquired 1994).

CBS Corporation (merged 2000, spun off 2006). MTV Networks, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Pictures — all part of the Viacom empire.

Shari Redstone now controls National Amusements and the merged Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS).

Redstone was a control investor, full stop. He did not take minority stakes or passive positions.

He wanted to own and run the asset. His moves were audacious and often hostile — he was willing to pay a premium, fight a bidding war, and outmaneuver opponents through sheer force of will.

He believed content assets appreciated while distribution assets depreciated, so he bought studios and networks, not cable pipes.

The 1994 acquisition of Paramount Communications for $10 billion. He beat Barry Diller in a prolonged bidding war and walked away with one of the most valuable film libraries in Hollywood.

That library — Rocky, Indiana Jones, The Godfather — became an anchor of Viacom's long-term value.

Splitting Viacom and CBS in 2006 was strategic logic at the time, but it fragmented his empire at exactly the moment digital disruption required scale. Each company became more vulnerable to streaming competition separately than they would have been together.

His daughter Shari spent a decade trying to merge them back, finally succeeding in 2019.

Content is king. Distribution changes — cable, satellite, streaming — but the underlying shows, movies, and brands are what people actually pay for.

Own the intellectual property, own the economics. He believed this before most of the media industry understood the difference between pipes and programs.

Born May 27, 1923, in Boston. Died August 11, 2020, in Los Angeles at age 97.

Married twice — first to Phyllis Gloria Raphael (divorced 1999), then to Paula Fortunato (divorced 2008). Two children: Shari Redstone (who took over National Amusements and Paramount Global) and Brent Redstone.

His final years included bitter legal disputes with both children over control of his estate and health decisions.

Harvard College (BA, 1944 — graduated at age 20). Harvard Law School (JD, 1947).

Also served in the U.S. Army and was part of the code-breaking unit during World War II.

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