No Rock And Roll Fun

MTV SWALLOWS VIVA: Viva, the German alternative to the might of MTV Networks, has been swallowed by its international rival. Viacom, MTV's parent, is paying about EUR300 million for a majority stake, which is a cheap way of obliterating the competition in one go. MTV has pledged not to muck about with the "cultural identity" - Viva mainly focuses on German artists and German language music; it's also picking up sister stations in Poland, the Netherlands, Hungary and Switzerland. Everything needs to be given regulatory approval, and before we cry too much at the loss of independence, hitherto nearly half of the channel was held by Time Warner and Universal.