Viacom/CBS Argument Gaining Steam, Credit Suisse Analyst Says

The case for a Viacom/CBS combination "is increasingly hard ... to ignore" for controlling shareholder National Amusements Inc. since it would boost Viacom's negotiating leverage with distributors, give big savings via synergies, provide more content for CBS All Access, and give Viacom time and capital for investing in its core networks, Credit Suisse analyst Omar Sheikh wrote investors Wednesday. He said NAI might be more open now to a CBS sale of Paramount than a year ago when previous deal talks ended (see 1612120060). NAI didn't comment.