Viacom Inc. -- Moody's says Viacom's stand-alone digital stream service lends further momentum to OTT initiatives

New York, January 30, 2015 -- Moody's Investors Service said that Viacom, Inc. ("Viacom" -- Baa2 Senior Unsecured, Stable outlook) is the latest among a growing number of media companies to explore a stand-alone over-the-top (OTT) content delivery platform. The company announced that it plans to roll out an independent digital subscription service that will allow users to stream its kids' programming under a new brand, without having to subscribe to a traditional pay-TV package. Viacom's announcement comes a few months after Time Warner Inc. (Baa2, Stable) owned HBO and CBS Corporation (Baa2, Stable outlook) announced their plans to launch stand-alone OTT services for a subscription fee, targeting customers who do not subscribe to cable/satellite television or those who have discontinued their service. Other major networks to have taken the OTT plunge include ESPN, Food Network, HGTV, TBS and TNT among others, which don't offer stand alone services, but are part of DISH Network's (Ba3, Negative) Sling TV -- a web-stream service to be offered for $20 a month.

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