REDSTONE’S REMARKS: Viacom Inc. Chairman Sumner Redstone lit up Hollywood by dropping – and criticizing – movie star Tom Cruise, in a report today in The Wall Street Journal. However, in prepared remarks Tuesday night at the Progress and Freedom Foundation summit in Aspen, Redstone used the Cruise movie, “Mission Impossible III,” as an example of how consumers should be encouraged to pay for (rather than pirate) digital media from content companies like Viacom.
“One price for a single viewing of “Mission Impossible III,” Redstone said. “And another for two, or three viewings. And another to burn a DVD that can be shared with friends. Let’s let the consumer decide what they want and what they are willing to pay. That’s how you encourage people to do the right thing. We all intuitively know right from wrong…”
HIGH FIVE: Colorado ranks No. 5 in the “Best States for Business” survey compiled and published by Forbes magazine. Most surprising was Colorado’s number one ranking among states for growth prospects, “which reflects projected job, income and gross state product growth as well as business openings/closings and venture capital investments.” The other criteria and rankings for Colorado were: business costs, 31; labor, 2; regulatory environment, 8; economic climate 35; quality of life, 19. The top four states by all criteria are: Virginia, Texas, North Carolina and Utah.
