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Viacom Productions

Viacom Enterprises was the television distribution division of the CBS Television Network, formed in 1952 as CBS Television Film Sales , later renamed to CBS Films in 1958, CBS Enterprises, Inc. in 1968, then to Viacom in 1970. In 1971, it was spun-off to comply with FCC regulations prohibiting television networks from distributing their programs under their own names. Subsequently, Viacom formed "Viacom Productions" to produce first-run television series airing on the major television networks.

The company was popular during the 1970s and 1980s, originally distributing CBS-produced shows such as I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show . In later years, they've distributed shows from numerous other production companies, including MTM Enterprises , Filmways Television , Carsey/Werner , Lorimar Television , Rankin/Bass , and Hanna-Barbera (the latter mostly internationally). They also distributed several Four Star shows, and early Nelvana TV specials, as well as most movie releases from Romulus Films, Hallmark Hall of Fame , Tomorrow Entertainment , Regency Enterprises , New World Pictures (until 1984), Orion Pictures , New Line Cinema , EMI Films , Cannon Films , and the Terrytoons library, among others, until they formed their own syndication companies. In 1971, Viacom and its production division formed "Viacom International, Inc." as their new parent company for distributing programs overseas.

Within a decade, Viacom was bought by cinema chain National Amusements , becoming part of the newly-reincorporated "Viacom, Inc." On January 1, 1990, as part of a restructuring, Viacom Pictures was formed. On March 11, 1994, Viacom acquired Paramount Communications, Inc. and Viacom Enterprises was folded into Paramount Domestic Television (later " CBS Television Distribution " and now " CBS Media Ventures "), by transferring the domestic rights of the Viacom library. Viacom International was later reorganized as the parent company of MTV Networks and Showtime Networks . Viacom transferred the international rights of the said library into Paramount International Television, while Viacom Productions was reincorporated as a production sub-division of Paramount Television. The Viacom Enterprises logo of the era was still used for "Viacom Productions" with an updated variant, and would remain until 1999, receiving another update to the logo to reflect the company's new status after merging with former parent company CBS. The 1999-2004 Viacom logo would be its last, as the final two series to end under the Viacom Productions name would be Ed and The Division .

In light of serious financial troubles brought on to Viacom, the production unit was folded into Paramount Network Television (now " CBS Studios ") in 2004. Paramount took control of the remaining Viacom-produced series in 2005. On December 31 of that year, Viacom was reincorporated as "CBS Corporation", ceasing to exist officially. A "new" Viacom was established on the same day, as the holding company for Paramount Pictures, the MTV Networks, BET Networks, and their non-television firms. By 2009, most Viacom-distributed TV productions were distributed under CBS Media Ventures (formerly "CBS Paramount Domestic Television" and "CBS Television Distribution") and outside the U.S. under Paramount Global Content Distribution (formerly " CBS Paramount International Television " and " CBS Studios International "), while the previous Viacom-distributed movies, and some Viacom Domestic Media Networks TV shows were distributed by Paramount with U.S. over-the-air rights licensed to Trifecta Entertainment and Media . On December 4, 2019, Viacom and CBS re-merged, forming ViacomCBS . On February 16, 2022, ViacomCBS was renamed to Paramount Global , putting the Viacom name to rest after 51 years.

Before the Paramount purchase, Viacom titles were distributed on home video by Magnetic Video Corporation , CBS Video Enterprises (coincidental as Viacom would later own CBS), Warner Home Video , VidAmerica , Forum Home Video and U.S.A. Home Video , among others. A little known fact is that Viacom actually stands for " Vi sual A udio Com munications".

1st Logo (June 4, 1971-June 1976)

Black and white variant

Visuals: On a purple background, the letter " V " slides in from the right of the screen, settling in the left-hand side. Then the text " i A " slides in, settling beside the " V ". When this happens, the colour of the background changes to green . Then, the text " COM " slides in, settling beside " VIA " and changing the background to red . This forms the word " V i ACOM ". Finally, the word zooms out as the words " A " and " p RESENTAT i ON " fade in to the left and right of it, respectively, revealing the text in its entirety as the background changes to blue .

Trivia: The logo is actually in the same font as The Mary Tyler Moore Show logo (called "Peignot").

Variant: The logo is in B&W on early '70s prints of The Andy Griffith Show , Perry Mason , I Love Lucy , The Dick Van Dyke Show , Our Miss Brooks , The Phil Silvers Show , The Twilight Zone , and The Beverly Hillbillies , among other classic shows. It also appears on a VHS of The Andy Griffith Show released by Premier Promotions, titled The Andy Griffith Show Double Feature Volume 33 .

Technique: Camera-controlled/cel animation.

Audio: Four synthesized pinball-like chimes that ascend in pitch. The first 3 play as each part of " V i ACOM " slides in, and the last, which plays over the zoom-out, has a "ZAP" sound that blends in with the last bell, combined with a synth chord and gurgling, telephone-like sounds.

Audio Variants:

• The logo may be silent on some prints.
• The soundtrack might sound distorted on some prints. This happens because lab technicians print the soundtrack onto the film at a louder volume than usual.
• One variation has the soundtrack out-of-sync with the logo. This was seen on Season 11, Episode 20 (Me-TV airing) and Season 12, Episode 12 (Odyssey/Hallmark airing) of My Three Sons .
• On a 1985 French airing of Hawaii-Five-O , a strange beeping sound is heard instead.

Availability:

• In the original 2002 write-up of this article , it was suggested that the same prints of My Three Sons that had this logo had aired on Nick at Nite between 1988 and 1990.
• The dark variant was spotted on several color episodes of My Three Sons and the Magnetic Video VHS release of 5 Terrytoon Cartoons Featuring Heckle and Jeckle .
• This logo also appears on earlier 16mm syndication dupes of shows/movies distributed by Viacom, mostly before 1976, which occasionally appear on eBay. Such shows include: My Three Sons , Hogan's Heroes , and The Beverly Hillbillies .
• This logo also appears at the end of a 16mm print of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episode "What the Hex Going On?" from South Africa, following the 1969 Hanna-Barbera "Multiplying Rectangles" logo.
• This logo can also be seen on some older prints of episodes of Whirlybirds , Petticoat Junction , pre-mid-1970s prints of The Rookies (which is now with Sony Pictures Television), Family Affair , The Houndcats , the Canadian produced TV series The Amazing World of Kreskin , and foreign prints of The Banana Splits and Friends Show , Josie and the Pussycats , Wacky Races , Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines , The Perils of Penelope Pitstop , The Roman Holidays , The Harlem Globetrotters , among others; that includes 16mm kinescopes. It is unknown whether it appeared on early international Space Ghost and Dino Boy reruns. Check old 16mms.
• This logo has also been sighted on a DVD release from Mill Creek, '100 Awesomely Cheesy Movies', which is a repackaging of another two Mill Creek DVD sets. On "The Swingin' Seventies" section of the DVD, the 1970 TV movie adaptation of Jane Eyre retains the color logo at the end.
• Only a small amount of home media releases retain this logo. At least one VHS release of The Houndcats has this logo (that one being the UAV Corporation release), but it is unknown how many more have it, including releases from Trans World Entertainment , or the recent DVD releases. It was also spotted on a VHS release of The Andy Griffith Show by Premier Promotions.
• This logo is preserved on recent airings of S11 and S12 episodes of My Three Sons .
• With all that said, consider yourself very lucky if you see this logo on TV or even on video, or through any other medium.

Legacy: This logo isn't anywhere close to being as well known (or feared) as its successors, not only because of its short lifespan but also because it was commonly plastered with newer logos. The pinball sounds in this logo gave it the nickname "Pinball".

2nd Logo (June 1976-September 13, 1986)

Filmed version in black and white

Dark black and white version

Extremely dark black and white version

Filmed version in color

Early color version of the filmed variant

Cyan version

Videotaped version in black and white

Videotaped version in color

Orange videotaped version

"V of Moon" version

Lime version

Purple version?

Turquoise version

Pink version

Visuals: On a sky blue (or lavender ) background, the text " A Viacom Presentation " in a Palatino-like typeface zooms in from the center of the screen at a very fast pace, then stops abruptly (on the filmed variant) when it gets near the screen. Then, a stylized navy blue " V " (a downward trapezoid with a curved line in the near center) appears from the center. At first it is small, but the " V " starts to move gradually closer and closer towards the screen, almost to the point where it takes up nearly the entire frame. The logo then suddenly cuts to black or fades to black (depending on the version of the logo).

• The original version of this logo was filmed, and was used from 1976 until 1985 .
• Videotaped variants have the words " A " and " Viacom " spaced farther apart, and the animation is also much smoother. This was used from 1978 to 1986.
• A black and white version of the filmed " V " was used in the earlier years .
• An early color variant of the filmed version exists, where the " V " is black, with a light blue background. The more common version premiered by 1977.
• Some filmed variants feature the " V " actually stopping right before it cuts to black. This was largely common in its earlier years (especially in black & white variants).
• Dark variants of the Film-O-Vision version in color and B&W, due to film deterioration, exist.
• The first second is lopped off on the 1979 version of Magnetic Video's VHS release of Blue Hawaii .
• A "blacked-out" variant also exists on film prints of episodes of Greatest Heroes of the Bible on the Internet Archive, which has the "V of Doom" music on either the "END OF PART ONE" or "THE END" card, likely due to sloppy plastering.
• Similarly, one 16mm print of an episode of Speed Buggy stopped after the credits, but the logo's audio still played over the frozen screen.
• The logo has seen several different color variants appear. Color variants include monochrome, purple background with dark blue " V ", and faint purple background with blue " V ", among others.
• A videotaped variant featuring a yellow " V " was used on some syndicated prints of The Honeymooners , appearing in a giant moon over a city skyline where the credits appear. This is a result of a chroma-key mistake. This variation was given the nickname "V of Moon".
• There is also a variant with a jungle green background and a Charleston green " V " .
• There is a rumored purple variant where the background is lavender and the V is purple .
• A turquoise variant with an ultramarine blue " V " was used in 1984 . The " V " stops moving before the screen fades to black.
• A videotaped variant of this logo has an orange background and a midnight blue " V " seen on 1978 episodes of You Don't Say! . There is also a warp speed version of this.
• A videotaped variant with the logo superimposed in a circle over a moving starfield background was used on the short-lived series Hot City . This is nicknamed the "V in Space".
• A "warp-speed" videotaped variation where the logo and music are sped up exists. This was used alongside co-distributor logos and was seen from 1979-1986 .
• A variant where the " V " is dark red on a pink background also exists, which appeared on the 1985 syndicated series The Star Games . It also appeared on a 1994 rerun of an episode of The Andy Griffith Show .
• A videotaped variant with a lime background also exists, which was found on an episode of The Andy Griffith Show on TBS Superstation in 1992 and on the Perry Mason S8 episode "The Case of the Wrongful Writ" on a March 13, 1991 TBS Superstation broadcast .
• A high pitched, slightly sped up version of the videotaped variant also exists, which was spotted on the Cannon episode "He Who Digs a Grave (Part 2)" on Me-TV . As of May 2019, this variant is still intact.
• Camera-controlled/cel animation for the filmed version.
• Either Scanimate or another form of early computer graphics for the videotaped version.

Audio: Here are the main music variants used on this logo:

• Usually, the music used is a five-note synthesized fanfare (composed on an ARP Odyssey synth), complete with a timpani drum roll playing throughout with a final, rather loud pound at the end. Even after the logo faded (or cut) to black, the timpani's echo could still be heard. It is different for both the filmed and videotaped variants, with the audio quality being clearer for the latter.
• The very first version of this logo featured the "Pinball" music from the first logo as a placeholder and was used eventually until late 1978 (and was also often used when replacing the original "Pinball" logo, possibly a bad plastering error). This variant is known as the "V of Pinball".
• The very first version of the normal 1976 music had a slightly faster tempo/low-pitched version of the usual music, used on the same logo with the very dark blue/black "V" logo, and it was also used in tandem with the standard filmed variant in the mid-to-late 1970s.
• In some rare cases, the closing theme of the show was used, or none .
• The turquoise variant of the logo has two extra pounds of the timpani at the end.
• Sometimes, the "V of Doom" music cuts off right before the last timpani beat, removing the final echo in the process. This was heard on the Magnetic Video release of Don't Give Up the Ship .
• Sometimes on the filmed variant , the first note or two can be cut off. Often, the final bit of the show's closing theme will play over the logo briefly. This is caused by a bad splice on the film between the credits and the logo. An example of this would be the Season 11 finale to My Three Sons .
• On The Beverly Hillbillies episode "Christmas with the Clampetts" , and perhaps other episodes from the first two seasons, it has a generic theme (the show's theme couldn't be used due to it being copyrighted while episodes from the first two seasons have fallen into the public domain) playing over the filmed version of this logo.
• On the Have Gun, Will Travel season 3 episode "Fragile" on Me-TV and H&I , the 1987 Paramount Television theme plays faintly over a black screen before the videotaped variant appears, due to a double plaster.
• On the Hot City variant, the music starts playing over the last bit of the closing song.
• On a 1985 WTBS airing of Girls! Girls! Girls! , a split second of the "Pinball" music can be heard before the normal music starts, due to sloppy plastering.
• A print of the B&W filmed variant where the fanfare is badly warped exists. It's rumored to be found on an Andy Griffith VHS release called Mayhem in Mayberry .

Availability: Most shows that had this logo have been updated with either the "V of Steel" or "Wigga Wigga" logos, or those of Paramount Domestic Television, CBS Paramount Domestic/Network Television, or CBS Television Distribution. However, newer variants might be seen on local stations that show older Viacom shows, such as The Honeymooners , I Love Lucy , The Andy Griffith Show , Rawhide , Hogan's Heroes , The Twilight Zone , and Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C. All variants of the "V of Doom" (with the exception of the "V of Pinball" until evidence is found) can be seen on VHS tapes of The Andy Griffith Show released by various video outlets such as Premier Promotions and sometimes (though mostly the videotaped variant) by UAV Corporation .

• The B&W filmed variant with the "Pinball" theme appears on the Magnetic Video releases of King Creole (also on the Key Video re-releases) and Visit to a Small Planet .
• This variant was also resurfaced on a 16mm print of The Phil Silvers Show .
• Its color counterpart has been seen on the 1975 TV movie Eric , and is also intact on the film's VHS release, the Magnetic Video release of Girls! Girls! Girls! (also on the 1985 Key Video re-release), the Australian Magnetic Video VHS release of All in a Night's Work , and on one mid-1970s print of an early color episode of Gunsmoke , which aired on Superstation WTBS back in 1986.
• It appears at the end of most Viacom syndication prints of the time, on shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show , I Love Lucy , The Andy Griffith Show , The Phil Silvers Show , and My Three Sons . It also appeared on the Season 11 finale of My Three Sons on Hallmark back around 2000 and was again seen on a Me-TV airing of the latter on July 2, 2018, strangely with the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logo preceding it.
• It also appears on some TV movies from the era, such as Police Story , The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan , and Top Secret (1978), among others. It was also seen on the original Magnetic Video VHS releases of many feature films, such as Last Train from Gun Hill and possibly All in a Night's Work ; those featuring Elvis Presley, including G.I. Blues (also on the 1985 Key Video re-release) and Blue Hawaii ; those featuring Jerry Lewis, including Don't Give Up the Ship and at the end of earlier video prints of the 1981 film Firebird 2015 AD and the 1980 film The Unseen , while the videotaped variant makes a strange appearance at the beginning of the latter film (the same also applied to an '80s broadcast on the USA Network).
• The faster music variant is preserved on the 1985 Family Home Entertainment release of Little Lord Fauntleroy and its 1988 SLP reissue.
• The filmed variant can be seen on Cozi TV airings of episodes from the first two seasons of The Beverly Hillbillies , due to said network using public domain prints of that show.
• It also appeared on Nelvana 's first special A Cosmic Christmas ; this is intact on current prints of the special whenever it gets aired on TV, as well as on Amazon Prime and Nelvana's Keep it Weird YouTube channel (where it is followed by the 2004 Nelvana logo), in addition to Terror In The Wax Museum on Amazon Prime.
• The B&W filmed variant was once spotted on an episode of Perry Mason on Me-TV before it was replaced with a later print sometime in 2015.
• It can also be spotted on almost every episode of The Millionaire , which can occasionally be seen on Decades.
• The color variant of the filmed variant was seen on some prints of The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and currently on three episodes of Gunsmoke on Me-TV ("The Witness", "Eleven Dollars", and "Kitty's Love Affair") and one episode ("Like Old Times") on CBS Drama in the UK.
• The B&W filmed variant variant can also be spotted on DVD releases of The Beverly Hillbillies released by the Platinum Disc Corporation , Madacy Entertainment , Mill Creek Entertainment , and GoodTimes Entertainment , among other companies.
• It is unknown if this was seen on the Magnum Entertainment releases of The Deerslayer , The Last of the Mohicans (1977) or California Gold Rush , the Magnetic Video VHS release and 1985 Key Video re-release of Roustabout , or the 1985 Key Video re-issue of Blue Hawaii .
• Late 1970s-early 1980s broadcasts of The Alvin Show and international broadcasts of Wacky Races , Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines , The Perils of Penelope Pitstop , Josie & The Pussycats , Speed Buggy , Wait Till Your Father Gets Home , The Funky Phantom , The Super Globetrotters , and Help!... It's The Hair Bear Bunch! also ended with this logo; 16mm prints of at least the former two shows retain the logo. It is unknown whether it appeared on The Banana Splits and Friends Show , Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! or Space Ghost and Dino Boy reruns from the era (apparently, for the latter, Hanna-Barbera's World of Super Adventure cut the logos). Again, check old 16mm prints.
• The videotaped version appeared on Perry Mason on Me-TV, but since 2015, they have started to use remastered DVD prints with the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logo. However, these older prints can still be seen on FETV.
• It also appears at the end of most Cannon episodes, mostly between seasons 3-5, shown on Me-TV (and whenever it airs on Decades, also owned by the parent company of Me-TV, Weigel Broadcasting), and also appears on DVD of these seasons; the DVD of Season 3 has an odd combo of this with the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logo following it, while the remaining two seasons have the videotaped VoD alone.
• Several of the "Classic 39" episodes of The Honeymooners , as well as the "lost" episodes, had this logo when they previously aired on WGN America and TBS Superstation. Newer prints of the "lost" episodes use the MPI Home Video logo instead, as they used DVD prints as the source material.
• It was also seen on episodes of The (New) Price is Right from 1976-1980.
• The 1978 and 1983 variants were formerly seen on two episodes of The Twilight Zone on Syfy ("You Drive" and "One for the Angels"), until the channel acquired updated prints sometime in 2015.
• It was also surprisingly seen on a 2012 airing of The Missiles of October on Me-TV, before the 1990 "Wigga Wigga" logo; however, newer prints, such as a recent Decades airing, used the 2007 CTD logo instead.
• The warp-speed variant was also resurfaced on a rerun of The Bob Newhart Show S5 episode "Making Up Is the Thing To Do" on Me-TV, Hallmark Channel, Decades (occasionally), Sundance, and FamNET, after the decorated MTM Enterprises logo and preceding the 20th Television logo, and is also available on various season 5 and 6 episodes of that show on Shout Factory's 2014 complete series set, as well as solo releases of said seasons and Me-TV airings of most season 6 episodes, with the logo on a majority of those episodes being followed by the 20th Television logo.
• It can also be seen on two season 3 episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel on Me-TV and H&I ("Fragile" and "The Black Handkerchief").
• It was also seen on some episodes of All in the Family before Columbia Pictures Television Distribution (now Sony Pictures Television ) acquired the syndication rights to that show.
• The videotaped variant was also resurfaced on two Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C. VHS releases released by Forum Home Video in 1989, as well as The Devil and Daniel Mouse , which is included as an extra on the Blu-ray release of Nelvana's Rock & Rule .
• It also makes a strange appearance at the start of the original VHS release of the 1980 film The Unseen (also intact on an '80s USA Network airing), while the filmed variant appears at the end.
• This logo also appeared on a recent Decades airing of the season 2 Bob Newhart Show episode "The Modernization of Emily".
• This variant had also resurfaced on GSN and Buzzr airings of a 1980 episode of To Tell the Truth .
• It appeared on original broadcasts of Family Feud 's first syndicated run (where it was preceded by in-credit text), but does not appear to have ever been retained in repeat airings.
• This also made surprise appearances on Sky Go New Zealand prints of some episodes of All in the Family (such as season 1 episode 2).
• It apears on old VHS releases of the 1963 movie Fun in Acapulco and the 1966 movie Paradise, Hawaiian Style from Magnetic Video (both of which plaster over the Paramount logo at the end of the film, though the Spanish-dubbed version, as well as the 1985 Key Video reprint (In English) of the latter film used the standard "V of Doom" music), the 1974 TV movie The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman from Prism Entertainment , and the 1976 movie The Amazing World of Psychic Phenomena .
• It is also retained on the 1985 Key Video re-issue of Fun in Acapulco .
• It was also spotted on an '80s USA Network airing of the 1968 movie Mission Mars (it is unknown if it's intact on any VHS releases of the movie).
• 16mm prints of Fun in Acapulco also have this variation.

Legacy: This logo gained a reputation as one of the scariest logos of all time when it was used, due to its animation and music, earning the unofficial nickname "V of Doom". Nonetheless, it has been known to be a memorable one for those who grew up with this logo, and has been a fan favorite in the community.

3rd Logo (June 24, 1978-1985)

Normal version

With copyright notice

With a mirrored "V"

Visuals: On a sea green / dark blue background, a black " V " and the name " Viacom " zoom in together and stop smoothly once they take up most of the screen.

• Sometimes, the " V " slides in from the left with " Viacom " sliding in from the right.
• A variation features a copyright stamp for "Viacom International" appearing at the bottom once the " V " stops zooming almost completely.
• A version with a mirrored " V " has also been spotted, where the logo flips up.
• A still version exists.

Technique: Usually camera-controlled/cel animation, but for the still logo, obviously none.

Audio: Only the closing theme of the show or TV movie, or none.

Audio Variant: On some programs, a re-orchestrated/rearranged version of the previous logo's theme, punctuated by a steel-stringed guitar, is heard.

• During the 1980s, it was seen on various short-lived shows and TV movies produced by this company, such as The Master , The Devlin Connection , Amanda's , Dear Detective , Ace Crawford: Private Eye , The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair , and To Race the Wind , among others; however, very few have been released onto VHS or DVD.
• Older prints such as VHS releases might have this logo intact but the more recent releases such as on DVD or Blu-Ray generally plaster this with the CBS Television Distribution logo. Cases in point; To Race the Wind , on which said variant was intact on a 2011 True Movies 1 airing of the film (before the silent 1995 Paramount Domestic Television logo), and The Devlin Connection , The Master and The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair , which were released on video by Trans World Entertainment (but the DVD releases of the latter two use the CBS Television Distribution logo instead).
• The version with the re-orchestrated theme was created for the 1979 ABC series The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove (also known as Wonderland Cove ), and also appeared on the unsold 1978 ABC pilot Snavely .
• It is unknown if it's preserved on the USA Home Video releases of East of Eden (1981) or For Ladies Only ; it is, however, surprisingly preserved on the Starmaker Video reprint of the former film.
• True Entertainment (now GREAT! TV) airings of Kids Don't Tell have this intact.
• This is kept intact on The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair whenever it is aired on LEGEND in the UK, although DVD prints remove this and replace it with the CBS Television Distribution logo.

4th Logo (1981)

• Opening: On a black background, a " V " rotates towards the center of the screen in a r a i n b o w trail. Then, the r a i n b o w trail moves behind the logo, and the " V " flashes to bright cerulean and the word " Viacom " in the same color flashes in with the word " presents " below. As the opening theme starts, the camera slowly zooms up to the left corner of the " V " until it engulfs the screen with blue.
• Closing: At the end of the reel, a " V " is seen with the word " Viacom " in blue and the word " from " above the " V ", and they all zoom in towards the viewer.

Technique: Motion-controlled animation.

Audio: The opening and closing themes of the syndie promo or none.

Availability: The only sighting that has come up is a sales tape for individual stations to purchase syndication rights for Viacom-owned shows. The tape used for the captures above is from a Hawaii Five-O sales tape.

5th Logo (1984-1986)

Visuals: The sequence starts in outer space. The words " Special " and " Delivery " streak through the sun in the background, leaving a r a i n b o w trail. Then on a blue /black gradient background, the two words fly towards a stylized gold ring with wings and the familiar " V " from the 2nd logo on its base. " From Viacom " with " Viacom ", bigger and set in its corporate font, also fly towards the ring, settling inside it. The logo then constantly shines, occasionally flashing. At the end, a firework flash effect emerges from the logo.

• A short variant exists.
• A extended version also exists, where " From Viacom " streaks in after " Special " and " Delivery ", followed by the border being formed, rotating and dropping down as a rainbow-trailing outline, before retracting and fading to gold , flashing once. The rest of the logo plays out normally.

Audio: After a drum roll at the start, a majestic 13-note fanfare plays, with the last note held out. The last half plays for the short version, while it's extended for the long version.

Availability: It was seen on the 1984 Twilight Zone Silver Anniversary special, as well as mid-'80s prints of classic Rankin/Bass TV specials (including Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town ), and some TV movies from the era, among others.

6th Logo (December 1, 1985-May 24, 1987)

Orange variant

Visuals: On a black background is a still image of the Viacom " V " logo in blue , and the name " Viacom " in white below.

Variant: On Really Weird Tales , the " V " and name are smaller and colored orange .

Technique: A still graphic.

Audio: The closing theme of the show/TV movie or none.

• It was once seen on original airings of the first 3 episodes of the 1st season of Matlock on NBC plus its pilot episode (from March 1986), as well as on the Andy Griffith reunion special Return to Mayberry and the first five made-for-TV movie revivals of Perry Mason , but most have all fallen victim of being plastered with the "V of Steel" or "Wigga Wigga", 1995 or 2003 Paramount Domestic Television , CBS Paramount Network Television ("Wallpaper"), or CBS Television Distribution logos.
• Surprisingly, a November 2013 airing of Return to Mayberry on Me-TV left this logo intact, followed by a silent 1995 Paramount Domestic Television logo. However, on November 21, 2017, a rebroadcast on said network had it plastered with the CBS Television Distribution logo as it used a newer print. It is also plastered on the film's DVD release and also the Blu-Ray version (said special is included as an extra on the season 1 Blu-ray of The Andy Griffith Show ).
• It is preserved on the VHS releases of Return to Mayberry , Perry Mason Returns , Really Weird Tales , and a Brazilian VHS release of the Matlock pilot movie Diary of a Perfect Murder , among possible others.
• It was also preserved on Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun when it aired on Encore Mystery, but Encore Suspense airings cut the end theme off early and plaster it over with the CBS Television Distribution logo, while Me-TV and Hallmark airings plaster it over with the 1990 "Wigga Wigga" logo.
• It is preserved on the 2016 Kino Lorber DVD of Really Weird Tales , followed by the "Wigga Wigga" and CBS Television Distribution logos.

7th Logo (May 13, 1985-1986)

• Opening: Against a space background with twinkling stars, a metallic steel outline of the Viacom " V " and " Viacom " in its familiar Palatino-like font zoom back with a metallic steel trail effect. The trail effect finishes as the " V " turns solid and metallic and " Viacom " turns solid grey . The logo shines in a similar manner as the "Special Delivery" logo before flying downwards and offscreen.
• Closing: Against a city skyline with a purple night sky with most of the building's lights switched on and twinkling stars (a colorized version of the city from the opening credits of The Honeymooners ), the metallic textured " V " forms out of light particles. The word " Viacom " forms in the same manner as in the opening variant. The logo shines once completed.

Variant: An extended version of the closing variant exists on the sales tape for The Lost Honeymooners , where the logo shines multiple times after completing.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The closing theme of the show. Promotional reels featured Christopher Plummer saying "...Because Viacom (pronounced as "Vee-a-Com") presents, for the very first time in syndication...".

Audio Variants: On rare occasions, his voice is not used. Sometimes, when the closing theme or when the Viacom “V of Doom” music plays over the logo, Christopher Plummer instead says "From Viacom" (once again pronouncing it as "vee-a-com").

• Both variants appeared on a sales tape for The Lost Honeymooners .
• The closing variant has been seen on at least two Honeymooners specials, those being Jackie Gleason Presents: the Honeymooners Reunion and Season's Greetings From the Honeymooners . The former has not been seen since its one and only airing in 1985 while the latter was a special premiere for 3 lost Honeymooners episodes.

8th Logo (September 13, 1986-December? 1989)

Black and White version

Rare Green version

Rare Community Access Northshore version

Visuals: The sequence starts out with a screen that's divided in two, with a black/ purple gradient on top and silver on the bottom, with a bright light flare shining between. The silver part then rotates counter-clockwise (a la CBS/Fox Video ), revealing it is a steel version of the " V " logo as the background changes to a black/ blue / purple gradient. The word " Viacom " flies in from the upper-left of the screen and settles underneath the " V ", with it reflecting the text. The finished logo shines.

• A couple of "warp-speed" versions , the first of which is a slower version of the regular jingle and the second of which is an ultra warp speed version (featuring a higher pitched jingle), can be seen on various programs, if they haven't been plastered.
• VHS tapes containing this logo and select TV broadcasts have the " V " shining three times.
• A warp speed version of the three shines variant has been seen on the syndicated version of Super Sloppy Double Dare .
• There is also a variant where the " V " shines four times . It has been seen on episodes of Rawhide , Perry Mason , Matlock (seasons 1-4), Hogan's Heroes , The Adventures of the Little Koala , Finders Keepers (Toffler version), Easy Street (1986 series), and the 1986 revival of Split Second . There is also a warp speed version of this, as well as an ultra warp speed variant.
• There is a still variant.
• There is a variant where the " V " doesn't shine at all. It was only seen on We Love Lucy ; the 30-minute re-edit of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour .
• On the 1987 Celebrity Double Dare pilot , the logo is revealed with a computer-generated effect before animating.
• There is also a B&W variant .
• There is another sped-up variant of this logo with the music at the normal speed.
• There is also a variant that plays at a slightly slower speed .
• On Fox's Family Double Dare , the logo fades in after the Nickelodeon logo with the " V " already in place, then the " V " shines two times before fading out.
• There is a variant where both the " V " and the word " Viacom " appear to be in higher contrast , making the logo look shinier than normally.
• One version had a midnight blue screen with text saying "DISTRIBUTED BY", and then after a second, it cut to the " V " in the middle of its animation, with the full music playing throughout.
• Another version cuts to when the " V " starts rotating. This is unofficially known as the "in-progress" variant .
• There is a variant where the logo starts off in black and white, but quickly changes to color. This was spotted on a 1988 rerun of The Andy Griffith Show on TBS Superstation .
• The British Braveworld Video VHS of King Creole has a variant that cuts off the first or so second from the logo.
• On an episode of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams on GetTV , the logo starts fading during the second time it shines.
• On some episodes of 90s TBS Superstation airings of Perry Mason , the logo is colored green .
• On the 1988 Milwaukee Public Access (Viacom) parody of Star Trek titled Far Trek , cheap text in red that says "COMMUNITY ACCESS NORTHSHORE" fades in.

Audio: A series of pindrop-like synth notes and a high synth drone, later joined by a descending synth chord, and a "glittery" noise for when the " V " shines. The entire theme is slightly warped, oddly.

• In some cases, it uses only the closing theme of the show or none .
• Some episodes of Cannon and Perry Mason on Me-TV have/had the "V of Doom" music playing over this (MeTV later received updated CBSTD prints of the aforementioned episodes of both, though the aforementioned Perry Mason prints have since resurfaced on FETV).
• Some episodes of Gunsmoke , Matlock (seasons 1-4) , and one episode of Hogan's Heroes (seen in Australia) have the 1990 "Wigga-Wigga" music playing over this. A Russian print of Father Dowling Mysteries S1 EP3 also features this over the warp-speed variant, which continues into the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logo.
• A variant of the extended warp-speed (3 wipes) variant includes a voice-over. This was seen on a sales tape for the un-aired game show I Predict . As the logo animates, the voice-over is heard saying: "A Ron Greenberg Production, in association with Viacom." (Pronounced "Vee-a-com", similar to Sandy Hoyt on Split Second ).
• On a late-1980s print of the movie Running , the normal variant features two very faint copies of the theme playing and overlapping each other that are both off-sync with the animation, making them continue long after the logo fades to black.
• It is currently seen on Rawhide on Me-TV, Decades (occasionally) and H&I.
• It's also currently seen on most episodes of The Phil Silvers Show on Me-TV, Forces TV (United Kingdom) and occasionally seen on Decades, and it is preserved on the season 2 Shout! Factory DVD of the show, and on most episodes from seasons 3-4 of TPSS on DVD (season 1 on DVD and the UK DVD releases use CTD instead), and was on most episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies , as well as Gunsmoke (mostly color reruns) on Me-TV before they were issued updated prints by CBS, although for The Beverly Hillbillies , it can still be seen on some episodes (the earliest episode to have this is "Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch"), and as for Gunsmoke , it can still appear on certain episodes from season 14 (the third color season) onward.
• It was also spotted on the 1989 film Sonny Boy on TCM as well as AMC, and has also been spotted on syndicated prints of Cannon films, such as Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .
• This can also be seen on most episodes of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams on the recent DVD releases.
• Seen on '80s prints of other Viacom-distributed shows, including at one point in time, episodes of The Andy Griffith Show (particularly reruns on TBS Superstation), as well as episodes of I Love Lucy on Nick at Nite (as well as AMC briefly), Have Gun-Will Travel on Encore Westerns, various prints of The Cosby Show and Roseanne , Rawhide on the Hallmark Channel as well as Encore Westerns, The Millionaire on TV Land, and various episodes of Hogan’s Heroes on Forces TV in the United Kingdom and Fox Classics in Australia, among possible others.
• It is unknown if this was seen on '80s prints of The Dick Van Dyke Show , The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse , Petticoat Junction , The Houndcats , The Harlem Globetrotters (1970s cartoon), Hawaii Five-0 , Amigo and Friends , Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C. , The Honeymooners , Whirlybirds and Our Miss Brooks , among possible others.
• It can be seen on the Perry Mason made-for-TV movies from 1987-89, along with some prints of previous ones (though most use the warp speed variant), but DVDs plaster it over with the CBS Television Distribution logo. However, it is preserved on some VHS tapes such as the British VHS release of Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson , but these aren't easy to come by, and as far as we can tell, have never been released to VHS in the United States.
• It was also seen on some episodes of Perry Mason on Me-TV before they were issued updated prints by CBS, but these prints can still be seen currently on FETV.
• This logo (and its extended variants) is also seen on various game shows syndicated by Viacom from 1986-1990, including Split Second (most Gametv and Buzzr reruns retain it; some episodes on Buzzr plastered it with the current Fremantle logo, though), Double Dare (this includes recent prints on iTunes and on Paramount+), and Remote Control .
• The B&W variant can be found at the end of select VHS tapes of The Andy Griffith Show that were released by Premier Promotions, including notably The Andy Griffith Show Collector's Series Volume 12: Mayberry Classics , and was resurfaced on a Season 08 episode of Rawhide on Me-TV and H&I.
• This logo was also spotted on British VHS releases of Fun in Acapulco , King Creole , Roustabout and All in a Night's Work , older prints of Dempsey and Makepeace , Father Dowling Mysteries , a Decades broadcast of The Blue Knight (1975), at least one episode of The Twilight Zone on the French version of the Sci-Fi Channel, a Movies! broadcast of the 1971 docudrama Evel Knievel , a Escape (now Court TV Mystery) airing of the 1989 film Night Game , a recent TCM UK broadcast of Wild Geese II (1985), the 1987 Cannon film Three Kinds of Heat , which can be found on Netflix UK, Amazon Prime, Paramount+ and Epix.com, and international prints of seasons 1-4 (and some of season 5) of Matlock , though most use the warp speed variant. It does appear on a few Season 3-4 episodes of Matlock on CBS Justice (UK).
• The "in-progress" variant can be found on the MCA/Universal Home Video VHS of Super Force , the unsold Baby on Board pilot from 1988, as well as at least one episode of Rawhide on Me-TV.
• It has also been seen on some episodes of A Different World on Netflix.
• It was also spotted on syndicated prints of the 1979 Canadian sports drama, Running .
• This also resurfaced on episodes of All in the Family on Sky Go New Zealand (such as the pilot).
• This can also be seen on a late-2010s print of the film Katherine on YouTube Movies & Shows.
• The green version was only seen on 90s TBS Superstation airings of Perry Mason (such as the episode “The Case of the Fickle Filly”).
• The long variant (3 wipes) can be found on the Family Home Entertainment VHS of The Adventures of the Little Koala and was on at least one episode of Perry Mason on Me-TV before being issued an updated print by CBS, while the long version with 4 wipes made its premiere on the short-lived NBC-aired sitcom Easy Street , and was last spotted on the Toffler version of Finders Keepers on the now-defunct Nick GAS network. This is also seen on the aforementioned game shows distributed by Viacom in the late 1980s; reruns of these shows on Nick GAS, as well as Paramount+, retain the logo. The 3 wipes variant was also spotted on a 2017 FETV broadcast of the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Poison Pen Pal".
• Silent Variant : Originally, it could only be seen on syndicated TV prints of The Stepford Wives (the 1975 version), though it was resurfaced on the Forces TV print of the Hogan's Heroes episode "The Most Escape-Proof Camp I've Ever Escaped From", which is from season 2, although Fox Classics’ print has the theme present on it.
• This can currently be found on some episodes of Rawhide on Me-TV, Decades (occasionally) and H&I.
• It's also seen on older prints of Matlock (season 1-4, 1989 episodes; current TV prints use the 8th logo instead, while the DVD of S1 uses CBS/Paramount and every other season on DVD uses CTD instead). Oddly, FETV's print of the Matlock S1 episode, "The Don, Part 1" had this preserved. Many Season 3 and 4 episodes of Matlock on CBS Justice (UK) as well as a few season 2 episodes and 2 season 1 episodes keep this logo intact. Its spin-off Jake and the Fatman (DVDs and TV prints of seasons 1 and 2 use CTD instead), Father Dowling Mysteries (including a few early season 3 episodes), and a Brazilian VHS release of Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery (and DVD print) all have this logo. It's also preserved on a Brazilian VHS release of Jake and the Fatman .
• This is also preserved on the season 1 DVD release of Father Dowling Mysteries , preceded by CTD and can be seen on the other two seasons as well. Decades airings use the DVD prints of Father Dowling Mysteries as well.
• A 2002 article on this logo said that this appeared on prints of Father Dowling Mysteries that aired on PAX (now Ion Television).
• It was also seen on a 2016 British Horror Channel airing of Murder by Moonlight , and was presumably present on the film's original CBS broadcast.
• It is unknown if this is preserved on season 3 and 1990 episodes of S4 of Jake and the Fatman on DVD.
• The "DISTRIBUTED BY" variant is only known to exist on Superboy . However, the show's DVD release from Warner Home Video retains it.
• It strangely appeared on that aforementioned program's episode "A Day in the Double Life".
• Warp Speed Variant (Extended) : It is usually plastered by either the "Wigga-Wigga", Paramount Domestic Television , CBS Paramount Domestic/Network Television ("Eye in the Sky" or "Wallpaper"), or CBS Television Distribution logos, though they have been spotted on a few episodes of Rawhide on Me-TV and H&I, and the 4 wipe version was spotted on an Australian television print of the Hogan's Heroes episode "Request Permission to Escape", which is the last episode of season 1. When the episode aired in the UK on Forces TV, the last wipe was cut off. It was also seen on UK airings of some episodes of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams .
• Sped-Up Variant : Seen on Perry Mason: The Case of the Poisoned Pen . It was also seen on Season 3 and 4 episodes of Matlock , when last aired on CBS Justice in the UK.
• Ultra Warp Speed Variant : The ultra warp speed version can be seen on Netflix's prints, most official YouTube prints, some VHS tapes, and The Family Channel airings of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and The Legend of Zelda (1989 cartoon), although international prints have the 1988 Saban International logo instead. The logo is retained on the DVD of the latter show The Power of the Triforce as well.

Legacy: Its CGI makes this logo a favorite among the logo community. It is known by the fan nickname "V of Steel".

9th Logo (1990-May 11, 2000)

Original version (1990-1998)

Filmed version

Black and white version of the original version

Productions version (1998-2000)

Productions version with byline

Visuals: On a shaded blue background, a silver " V " flies in from the bottom, and moves towards the left. As it does so, a zig-zag line comes out of it to form the other letters in the word " VIACOM ". The logo is seen shining throughout. The individual letters separate from the zig-zag line, with the " A " and " M " still having the form of zig-zags. The completed logo then shines.

• This is often unofficially nicknamed as the "Wigga Wigga" logo, derived from the sounds heard as the zig-zag line appears.
• Many people think the announcer is mispronouncing the name Viacom. It is indeed pronounced with a long "i" sound, like in "pr i ze", although the original pronunciation of the name pre-1986 was indeed with a short "i" sound, like in "p i zza", hence Christopher Plummer’s pronunciation as "vee-a-com". Oddly, the post-1986 pronunciation was used by the announcer on the Magnetic Video logo several years before it became the official pronunciation.
• There is a filmed variant seen on some TV movies from the era , like the 1996 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch television movie. Also seen on a British rerun as well as the Russian CBS Drama channel airing of the Father Dowling Mysteries season 2 episode "The Ghost of a Chance Mystery", which plastered over the "V of Steel" logo.
• Several shows have the name already formed during the later years , with the only animation being the shining of the letters.
• There is a text variation on this logo for Viacom Productions. It has the " VIACOM " text already formed, but a line slides in from the right and forms " PRODUCTIONS " in the Futura Extra Bold font, after which the " C " and the " O " in " VIACOM " shine. This shorter variation was seen on network TV productions from 1998-2000 . There was another variant of this in which the text doesn't shine at all, used on Diagnosis: Murder .
• On original ABC broadcasts and on reruns of the Sabrina, the Teenage Witch pilot on ABC Family (now Freeform), The Hub (now Discovery Family), Antenna TV, and Pluto TV, this logo is still (a la the 1985 "V of Happiness" logo), on re-runs on said networks, it is followed by the 2003 Paramount Domestic Television logo (but plastered on DVD and Paramount+ by the CBS/Paramount "Eye In The Sky" logo).
• A black & white version of this exists on some prints of older B&W shows (though most feature the color version).
• On the 1997 TV movie The Right Connections , the words "in association with" are seen over the logo's background, then fades out when the animation starts. It was also spotted on another TV movie, In the Doghouse (1998), as well as the short-lived UPN series from 1995, Deadly Games .
• On WPIX's print of the Honeymooners episode "The Sleepwalker" , the logo freezes before it is fully formed. The audio is also distorted in this variant. It's likely an error in production.
• On the 1996 TV movie Brothers of the Frontier (last seen on CBS Justice UK, and Disney Channel in the United States) and a Me-TV airing of the Matlock S7 episode "The Class" , the short version of the logo is played in slow motion.
• On the 1998 TV movie Inferno and the 1999 TV movie The Apartment Complex , the Productions variant has the text " Viacom Productions, Inc. Exclusive Distributor " in two lines below.

Technique: 2D motion-controlled animation. This logo was animated by Atlantic Motion Pictures.

Audio: Again, there have been several musical variations accompanied with a male voiceover saying "Viacom" near the end:

• Usually, a synthesized rock score is used, complete with drums, horns, and even a guitar. Four telephone-like "wigga-wigga" sounds are heard as the line zig-zags. (The music is actually "Block" from a Korg M1 synthesizer.)
• For the (then-)newly-formed Viacom International, the same logo is accompanied by different music. A synthesized whoosh and timpani drum is heard first, leading into a jingle played on a flute sample ("HardFlute" taken from Program B on a Korg T1 synthesizer) being heard as the line uncurls. As the logo finishes, a faint choir is heard in the background. Synthesized "shining" sounds can be heard throughout the entire logo. The voice-over is still heard. Composed by Michael Rubin, known for his work on Blue's Clues .
• There is a version where the voice-over cuts in earlier.
• Some versions have no voice-over. The Viacom Productions logo is one of these, except the variant used on Diagnosis: Murder and the TV movie Haley Wagner, Star . An extremely short version with no voice-over was seen for a brief time in 1996. This version is also followed by the 1995 Paramount Domestic Television logo.
• There was a warped version during later years.
• There is a low toned variant for the short version that appeared after an episode of The Twilight Zone .
• In some cases, it used the closing theme of the show , generic network music on CBS, NBC, and ABC , or it was silent .
• There is a variant with the "V of Doom" theme playing instead on several early-1990s syndie prints of classic TV movies from the era, plastering the 1976 filmed logo.
• There is another variant with the "V of Doom" music playing faintly instead on some episodes of The Twilight Zone on Syfy , Perry Mason , and The Honeymooners both on Me-TV and last aired on WGN America . Sometimes, the short version plays with the normal music, but the "V of Doom" music can be heard again faintly in the background. This is sometimes called the "Ghost of the V of Doom".
• There is a variant with the "V of Steel" theme playing instead on one episode of Gunsmoke as well as a Hungarian-dubbed rerun of the Father Dowling Mysteries season 1 episode "The What Do You Call a Call Girl Mystery" on AXN Crime. Father Dowling Mysteries S2 EP1 on the Russian CBS Drama channel also features this.
• One episode of Rawhide on Me-TV has the warp-speed version of the logo with the warp-speed "V of Steel" music playing over it.
• A variant with the sped-up "V of Steel" music was reportedly sighted on a British rerun of the Matlock episode "The Brothers" .
• Another variant with the warp-speed VoS music playing under the regular version was spotted on a Hungarian-dubbed rerun of the Father Dowling Mysteries season 1 episode "The Mafia Priest Mystery: Part 2" on AXN Crime . This is unofficially called the "Ghost of the V of Steel". This may also have been spotted on an Australian airing of a Jake and the Fatman episode.
• The Viacom Productions variant has used the 1999 music from the final logo below on certain occasions. This has been sighted on an international print of the eighth episode of S7 of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch , "Bada-Ping!", an Antenna TV airing of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch S7 episode "Sabrina Unplugged", and has also been reported to appear on some episodes of the final season of Diagnosis: Murder .
• A variant of the original "Wigga Wigga" logo without the announcer in it also exists.
• On the TV movie My Body, My Child , the warped theme plays over the regular variant.
• At the end of a Russian print of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark , the 1971 Lorimar jingle plays over this logo. This is due to a plaster error.

Availability: This logo is quite infamous for plastering the older Viacom logos. Many of the shows that had this logo have been updated with either the Paramount Domestic Television, the CBS Paramount Domestic or Network Television logos ("Eye in the Sky" or "Wallpaper") or CBS Television Distribution logos by now, especially on DVD releases, but it is still seen on some shows and TV movies.

• It was spotted on the film I'm All Right Jack on TCM, the miniseries The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw on Grit (and possibly the DVD release), two episodes of Cannon on the season 3 DVD (and one episode on Me-TV, S03 E03), syndicated prints of Cannon Group films such as Masters of the Universe , and one episode of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams on DVD.
• It has been spotted on reruns of color episodes of Gunsmoke on Me-TV and TV Land, albeit in split screen form on the latter channel, and was also spotted on The Alvin Show when rerun on Nickelodeon.
• However, recent prints of Gunsmoke episodes from Season 12 (the first color season) and Season 13 and are now restored and now use CTD, though it can possibly still be spotted on almost all other episodes from Season 14 on (needs further confirmation).
• It was also seen when Have Gun, Will Travel aired on Encore Westerns in the early 2010s, as well as some episodes of Perry Mason , Hogan's Heroes (these prints now air on UK television network Forces TV and Australian cable channel Fox Classics), and The Beverly Hillbillies on Me-TV and occasionally Decades before they both were issued updated prints by CBS (though it can be still be found in the majority of color episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies (S05-S09) and formerly on select episodes of Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C. ; for the latter show, all episodes have been restored and use either CBS-Paramount or CTD.
• FETV prints of Perry Mason still have this logo intact on many episodes.
• In the past, episodes of I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour on Nick at Nite and TV Land had this logo as well.
• It could also be seen on the Perry Mason TV movies from 1990-95, and some prints of older ones, but DVDs plaster it with the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logo.
• The high pitched variant was resurfaced on a British television broadcast of California Gold Rush .
• This can also be found on Family Affair , My Three Sons (it also appeared on Season 11, Episode 12 of that show after the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logo on a June 14, 2018 airing on Me-TV), VHS releases of Payoff (1991), a True Movies UK broadcast and Me-TV airings of the 1973 TV film A Dream for Christmas , the 2009 Warner Archive DVD-R of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), the Republic Pictures VHS of Rent-a-Kid , the Prism Entertainment VHS of Memories of Murder (The original Lifetime broadcast used the warp speed 1986 "V of Steel" logo instead), VHS copies of The Right Connections , The Operation (AKA: Bodily Harm ) (plastering the 7th logo which was used on the original CBS broadcast and also kept on a Lifetime airing), recent Movies! broadcasts of Day of the Animals (1977) and The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia , the Mexican VHS release of the Greatest Heroes of the Bible episode "Abraham's Sacrifice", They Watch , the Starmaker Video VHS releases of Last Train from Gun Hill , Donner Pass: The Road to Survival , Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980), The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race , and Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love , among possible others, a Brazilian VHS of the Sunn Classics adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher , the Kino Lorber DVD of Really Weird Tales (after the 5th logo), a Brazilian VHS of the Italian film Blood Ties , the Vidmark Entertainment VHS of Murder by Moonlight , and international prints of Rawhide , along with some recent prints on Heroes & Icons.
• It was also spotted on a 2005 Superstation WGN (now NewsNation) airing of Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990), an old syndicated print of the New Line film Alone in the Dark (1982), a 2003 WE TV airing of Tears in the Rain (1988) and Sky Go New Zealand prints of some episodes of All in the Family like season 2 episode 6.
• It also appeared at the end of an April 8, 2023 UK airing of the 1977 TV movie The Last of the Mohicans on LEGEND.
• It's currently found on Matlock on WGN America, Me-TV, Decades, FETV, Pluto TV, and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (it plasters over the the 7th logo on many episodes from seasons 1 to 4, and the 5th logo on later syndicated prints of the pilot episode for that show; DVDs use the CBS/Paramount "Wallpaper" logo for season 1 while 2-9 have CTD). Some episodes from seasons 6 and 7, and possibly 8, use the regular variant instead.
• Also seen on the first 3 seasons and early season 4 episodes of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch on Antenna TV, Pluto TV, and Fuse (DVDs have the CBS/Paramount "Eye In The Sky" logo for season 1, while seasons 2-3 have the "Wallpaper" logo and 4-7 have CTD. Hulu prints use the CBS/Paramount "Wallpaper" logo for season 1, Paramount+ uses the DVD prints).
• It's also seen on the first five seasons of Diagnosis: Murder on DVD, Encore Suspense, Me-TV, Decades (occasionally), and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (however, DVDs of season 2 use the 2006 CBS/Paramount "Wallpaper" logo instead).
• It was also preserved at the end of the DVD print of the Jake and the Fatman S4 episode, "It Never Entered My Mind", which is included on the Diagnosis: Murder season 1 DVD.
• It is unknown if this same print is retained on the Jake and the Fatman complete series boxset, or if said boxset retains this logo on later season 4 episodes as well as S5 episodes.
• The version where the LaFontaine voice-over cuts in earlier was formerly seen on S1 episodes of The Twilight Zone on Syfy (though some episodes were known to contain the 2nd logo); currently, Syfy and Me-TV had acquired new, updated prints with the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logo, making the logo quite rare.
• It may still be intact on some episodes of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch , and was also spotted on a December 2018 Me-TV broadcast of the Gunsmoke episode "P.S. Murry Christmas", and can possibly be seen on episodes from the later seasons.
• It was also intact on many Season 17 episodes of Gunsmoke on the UK CBS Channels.
• This was also seen on at least one episode of Rawhide on H&I and the TV movie My Body, My Child on True Movies UK.
• This variant also appeared on some Season 2 episodes of Matlock and some season 2 episodes of Father Dowling Mysteries when aired on CBS Justice (UK).
• Seen on a few season 4 episodes of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Seasons 5 through 7 episodes of Diagnosis: Murder , among other Viacom productions at the time.
• It is also retained on GREAT! tv UK airings of Diagnosis: Murder .
• It was present on syndicated and international prints (though some used the regular variant) of The Cosby Show and Roseanne , but it is now plastered with the Carsey-Werner Distribution logo, though some prints have survived, but not all of them.
• The international version, and sometimes the regular variant, can be seen on some episodes of A Different World on Netflix, including the pilot, and was also seen on Terrytoon prints that were distributed around in the 1990s, as well as reportedly, one episode of The Beverly Hillbillies on the Fox Classics Network in Australia.

Legacy: Another beloved logo by some for its CGI, music (especially on the International variant), and voice-over.

10th Logo (September 24, 1999-August 8, 2004)

Normal version (1999-2002)

Cropped 16:9 zoomed out with borders (in 4:3)

Cropped 16:9 zoomed out with borders (in squished 4:3)

Cropped 16:9 zoomed out with borders (in 16:9)

Later version with bolder letters (2002-2004)

Version of the 2002 variant stretched to 16:9

IAW version of the 2002 variant

Cropped 16:9 version of the 2002 variant

Native 16:9 version of the 2002 variant

Visuals: On a smoky blue background, the letters of " VIACOM " in a clear glass font are stacked on top of each other, with the " V " in front and the " M " in back. The letters then shrink and spread out to form the word as normally read. The background is revealed to have the letters of the word rapidly fading and blurring in and out. After " VIACOM " settles in, the text " PRODUCTIONS " in Futura Extra Bold appears from the mist and moves up to settle below the text. The byline " a Paramount company " (in the Paramount Pictures logo's font) fades in below that, along with a line above that separates the two.

• A still version of this logo exists (a la the 1985 "V of Happiness" logo).
• Starting in 2002 , the logo is slightly enhanced. The word " VIACOM " is made bolder and, when the letters are stacked, look brighter. In addition, the background is darker and has more contrast.
• Sometimes on the 2002 version, "in association with" spreads out above.
• Multiple 16:9 variants (usually of the 2002 version) exist - one stretched from 4:3, one cropped to 16:9 (seen on widescreen movies and shows ), and a native 16:9 version. The cropped version may also be zoomed out with borders (to account for the two aspect ratios).
• Another rare 16:9 version exists wherein the 4:3 version is zoomed out without borders, thus causing the sides of the letters to copy themselves into three. This can be found on the French printing of the TV movie Finding John Christmas (entitled À la recherche de John Christmas ).
• A shorter version cuts to either the first quarter or to the last.
• There is a slower version .
• A filmed version appears on some TV movies.
• September 27, 1999-August 8, 2004: A descending crystallized wind chime-like sound effect culminating in a "BOOM" and a frantic synth-driven theme, with a robotic voice faintly saying the word "Viacom" after.
• The 2002 enhanced version has the robotic voice sped up.
• September 30, 1999-May 11, 2000: Very early broadcasts featured the 1990 and 1998 network TV music. This can be seen on "updated" airings of season 7 episodes of Diagnosis: Murder on Me-TV and one season 4 episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch , "The Wild, Wild Witch".
• There is also a silent variant.
• A version in which the wind chime sound effect plays faster also exists.
• A sped-up higher pitch version also exists.
• Sometimes, it has the end theme of the show or TV movie or generic network music , as seen on NBC and CBS.
• It can be seen on any show or TV movie produced by Viacom from 1999-2004; these include seasons 4-7 of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch on Antenna TV and Pluto TV (plastered on the DVD releases and on Paramount+ by the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logo) and Fuse, The Division on Start TV, season 1 of The 4400 last aired on USA Network, and seasons 7 & 8 of Diagnosis: Murder on Me-TV, Decades (occasionally), Encore Suspense, DVD, and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, as well as the final two TV movies spun off from that show (however the DVD print of the last film "Without Warning" uses the CBS Television Distribution logo instead).
• The still version can be seen on some season 8 and "updated" season 7 episodes of Diagnosis: Murder on Me-TV, Encore Suspense, Decades (occasionally), Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, DVD releases, and original CBS airings from 2000-2001.
• It was also spotted at the end of several made-for-TV movies such as Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story , A Diva's Christmas Carol , Three Blind Mice , Bad Apple and Bang Bang, You're Dead , among others.
• It was also seen with the Triage Entertainment logo on the Lifetime series Beyond Chance (starting with the fourth episode), which hasn't been reran for years.
• The 2002 variant of this logo was also seen at the end of a July 8, 2023 UK airing of the 2004 TV movie The Legend of Butch & Sundance on LEGEND.

Legacy: It's not a well-known logo like the previous ones, but it's considered another well-made logo with some really cool effects.

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File : Viacom logo.svg

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Items portrayed in this file, image/svg+xml, 3 january 2006.

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Viacom Pictures

• There is an earlier variant in which "PRESENTS" fades in below that, in purplish-blue . This usually appears on trailers for films made by this company, particularly the trailer for Keeper of the City . A full-length version of this variant can be found on Fourth Story and the trailer for The Fear Inside .
• At the end credits, "DISTRIBUTED BY", in really small letters, is seen above the print logo of Viacom Pictures, in white.
• At the end of the trailer, The Fear Inside , there is a still version of this logo with the text " Distributed by " above.

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Compiled by Eric Hartman, Jason Jones, James Fabiano, Cameron McCaffrey, and Matt Williams

1st Logo (1971-1976)

Nicknames : "Pinball Music", "A Viacom Presentation", "V-IA-COM"

Logo : This logo had the syllables in the word "Viacom" coming in, syllable-by-syllable, from the right, with the background changing color. As the screen fades to purple, the V slides in. Then the IA slides in, changing the background to green. Then the COM slides in, changing the background to red. When the word "VIACOM" is formed, the camera pans outward and the words "A" and "PRESENTATION" are seen to the left and right of the word "Viacom", over a blue background. The logo had a font similar to the one on the "Mary Tyler Moore" logo (called "Peignot") with white lettering.

Quality Control : One version of the logo replaces the red background with black. Could possibly be because of film quality, however. Other sources would have this logo completely out of sync with the sound effects.

Cheesy Factor/FX : Animation was very rough, primitive keyboard music, the changing backgrounds.

Music : Consists of four synthesized ascending pinball-like chimes, also kind of sounds like the sound effects you hear on some news programs. The first three bring up the syllables to "Viacom," and the last, which plays over the zoom-out, has a zap-like "WHOOSH" that blends in with the last bell.

Availability : Pretty much gone, the shows have had other syndicators or have been updated with the 2nd or other logos. However, it has turned up on at least 5-10 color episodes of "My Three Sons" on The Hallmark Channel. Supposedly these include episodes last seen on Nick at Nite around 1988-90.

Scare Factor : Median, it has scared some by its cheesy animation, fast pace, "zoom out", and primitive music. But compared to the 2nd logo, it's nothing.

2nd Logo (1976-1986)

Nicknames : "Creepy V of Death", "The Purple V (Of Doom), "V of Doom," "Killer V," etc.

Logo : On a sky blue background, the words " A Viacom Presentation " zooms in from the center of the screen at a very fast pace. Then, a fancy-cut, purp le "V" comes from the center and moves gradually closer and closer to the screen, with the "V" ending up taking nearly the entire screen.

• A network television version usually had the V and the name "Viacom" zooming in together, more on this later.
• There are videotaped and filmed versions of this logo. The latter usually appears on black and white programs, and has a film-like appearance to it
• There is an uncommon variation that has a much sped up logo and music.

Note: There actually IS a variation of the logo with the pinball music from the first logo. It was recently sighted on a Megamix tape.

FX/Cheesy Factor : Off the charts, the logo looks like it's a purple piece of cardboard being zoomed up, and that music, was the composer in a hurry and in a bad mood that day?

Music : Had a 5-note synthesized tune with a timpani drum cresending throughout. Even after the logo faded to black, the timpani's echo can still be heard.

Availability : Most shows that had this ID usually have been updated with the current Paramount ID. It might be seen on local stations that show older Viacom shows like The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle USMC. Also, the filmed version of the logo is on the 1970-71 season finale of "My Three Sons" on Hallmark. Is also seen at the end of most Cannon episodes shown on TV Land Canada.

Scare Factor : Nightmare, the music and "V" jarring on the screen had been a source of bad dreams and nightmares for many. The audio quality is also poor. One of the scariest logos ever created.

3rd Logo (1986-1990)

Nicknames : "Giant Silver V", "Silver V", "Rotating Silver V", "V of Steel"

Logo : We start out with a screen, divided half purple on top and half silver on the bottom. The silver part then rotates counter-clockwise (ala CBS-FOX) and a fancy-cut V (same design as V of Doom in 2nd logo) appears. The word "Viacom" is seen under the V and the V shines.

FX : The rotating V, the V "shining".

Music : Had pin drops with a sound similar to the opening sound on the THX sound system ID.

Availability : Appears on Father Dowling Mysteries on PAX, but at warp speed. Also shows up on '80s prints of other shows such as "Beverly Hillbillies" and "We Love Lucy" on local TV.

Scare Factor : Minimal, The "THX-like" sound might have scared a few here and there, but it's mainly harmless.

4th Logo (1990-1999)

Nicknames : "Wigga-Wigga" , "\/|/\CO/\/\"

Logo : On a shaded blue background, a silver "V" flies from the bottom left and then backwards. As it does so, a zig-zag line comes out of it to form the other letters in the name, with the "A" and "M" still taking the form of zig-zags. The completed logo shines, as a voiceover says the company name "Viacom." 

• Many think the announcer is mispronouncing the word Viacom. It is indeed long "i" , like in "enterpr i ses"
• Two alternate versions of the logo include a shorter version where the announcer cuts in earlier, and one with different music that sounds like it is played on a flute. The flute music was heard on syndicated prints of The Cosby Show
• There is a text variation on this logo for Viacom Productions. It has the "Viacom" text already formed, but "PRODUCTIONS" zooms in from the right.

FX : The coiled line turning in to "\/|/\CO/\/\"

Cheesy Factor : The other letters in the logo seem to fall out of the zig-zags rather than the zig-zags just turning into them.

Music : In most cases, had new age-type synthesized music. Had telephone-like sounds when the curled-up line uncurled. Otherwise it would have the flute tune as described above.

Availability : Can still be seen on the many shows syndicated by Viacom, but mainly on old cable prints. This logo is being phased out with the current Paramount ID or the current ID.

Scare Factor : Minimal, some might be caught off-guard by dramatics.

5th Logo (1999-2004)

Note: By 1999, Viacom was a production company only, relinquishing its distribution duties to Paramount Television. That year, they recieved a new logo to reflect the company's new status. Alas, this logo was to be Viacom's last; the production unit was absorbed into Paramount Television as well in 2004. Though, the Viacom name will continue to live on as the owner of Paramount and CBS, but nothing more.

Nickname : "VIACOM 2000"

Logo : This one has the letters in front of each other spreading out into place. The background is full of those "wavy-line" letters. The company is referred to as "Viacom Productions, A Paramount Company" with the Paramount byline in its majestic cursive logo font.

FX : Letters spreading out

Cheesy Factor: This might be a gripe, but why is Viacom "A Paramount Company" when most Paramount logos are listed as being "A Viacom Company"?

Music : A windchime-like sound effect mixed with an explosion, then a high, robotic voice says "Viacom"

Availability : Can be seen on any show produced by Viacom from 1999-2004, "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch" is one.

Scare Factor : Low.

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