After a split off financial exchange deal, Blockbuster and Viacom will no longer be together. The terms of the deal will give Blockbuster a $5 dividend, with a total payout to all shareholders of over $900 million - of which Viacom will pick up $738 million as an income tax free payment.
As for Viacom, chairman and CEO Sumner Redstone implied that the split represented a refocusing of the corporation"s efforts on the media creation area, rather than the retail or rental areas further down the value chain.
"Following the split-off, Viacom will devote all its energies and resources into expanding our core areas," he said in a statement, "particularly the content creation engines that we believe will drive our future performance."