Viacom and CBS Executives to Earn Big Bucks in Merger Deal
By: Wall Street Journal
August 20, 2019
The merger of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp. will be lucrative for the top executives of both companies.
Viacom Chief Executive Bob Bakish, who will become president and CEO of the combined company, ViacomCBS, has signed a new contract ending four years after the deal closes. The contract lists salary, bonuses and other incentives worth about $31 million a year, roughly 55% higher than Mr. Bakish’s total compensation in the most recent fiscal year, the company said in a securities filing.
Acting CBS Chief Executive Joe Ianniello, who will be chairman and CEO of CBS at ViacomCBS reporting to Mr. Bakish, will receive a payout of about $70 million when the deal closes. That payment resulted from a provision in his old contract at CBS that entitled him to a lump sum if he wasn’t named CEO of the combined company in the event of a merger.
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