Viacom Looks Back on Rough Rock Band Year
Media giant Viacom, parent company of MTV Games, and owner of the profitable Rock Band series, recently released their calendar year 2009 figures. Viacom’s “Media Networks” division (MTV Games and subsequently, Rock Band) saw 2009 revenue drop 5%, to 8.29 billion, and fourth quarter revenue drop 6%, to $2.3 billion. In a conference call, Viacom’s CEO and president, Philippe Dauman, expressed the company’s take on the numbers, and how they’ll move forward.
Dauman plans to institute a more cost-effective business model within Rock Band: choosing songs or artists that can affordably give rights to MTV Games.
“… It certainly was a challenging year in 2009 for the video game industry in general and certainly for our Rock Band franchise.
“As we go forward, we are continuing to focus more on software than hardware, looking to reduce the cost structure associated with Rock Band, being selective in the music titles that we choose for Rock Band based on their cost. The music industry will assist with this category to make sure that it can continue on a profitable basis in the future and then finally we think we have the best games in the category [and] we’ll continue to roll out exciting products.”
Time will tell whether this business model will work for Viacom. In the meantime, stick with PlayStation LifeStyle, as we’ll keep you up-to-date on this developing situation.
4 Responses to “Viacom Looks Back on Rough Rock Band Year”
Heres a Simple advice cut the cost of the sets and not make the Sets as much as buying a new console and stop the stupid relases Like Lego Rockband beeteles rocband Metalica etc. etc. Finally Make one set work with all.
umm obviously you havnt played rock band neo?
a. metallica is guitar hero
b. the sets are only worth a new console of the xbox kind (at a basic setup)
c. lego rockband was actually a great game and had a very similar set list to guitar hero 5
d. all the rock band instruments work on each rock band game, so a beatles drum kit works on lego rock band, rock band, rock band 2 and rock band beatles
e. how many people buy the whole kits anymore seeing as the guitars from guitar hero work on rock band and vice versa, and so do the microphones (not sure about the drum kits but i know they do on wii and xbox)
f. there are alot of fans of the beatles and metallica and the lego games and they are sure sellers!
I want to pick this up. trying to find the bundle somewhere around
@neo881 Wake up. Beatles Rock Band is nothing like all the Guitar Hero spinoffs. The GH spinoffs are like, 20 songs from that band and 60 from bands that “were inspired by or inspired” that band, and most of the time, it’s a load of shit meaning it’s songs the developers want to put in there. Beatles Rock Band was the only Rock Band game of 2009, and it was ALL Beatles. Well, the only console RB. RB Unplugged was on PSP.