Viacom Inc. announced the formation of a Program Acquisitions Group to coordinate the company's domestic program acquisition activity across its portfolio of domestic media networks, including BET, Centric, MTV, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land, Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite. The Program Acquisitions Group will unify the planning and analysis, inventory management, acquisition process and buying activity for all Viacom Media Networks' domestic program acquisitions. The group will be jointly led by David Bernath, Executive Vice President, Programming & Multiplatform Strategy for Comedy Central, and Barbara Zaneri, who will assume the newly created role of Executive Vice President of Program Acquisitions.

Program acquisitions executives at each of the individual networks will continue to lead the selection of acquisitions for their respective channels. In her new role, Zaneri will lead negotiations for all domestic program acquisitions within Viacom Media Networks, working closely with the relevant network program acquisitions executive. She will also be responsible for all domestic multi-channel program acquisitions.

Zaneri will report directly to Rich Eigendorff, Chief Operating Officer of Viacom Media Networks. Bernath will be responsible for coordinating all of the company's domestic program acquisitions activity. He will continue to report to Michele Ganeless, President of Comedy Central, and will report to Rich Eigendorff in his Program Acquisitions Group role.