ViacomCBS’ $340 million purchase of streaming video service Pluto TV two years ago was part of an effort by the aging TV empire to update its business for the digital age. But now Pluto is thrusting ViacomCBS into the middle of an increasingly contentious debate about the nature of content that big entertainment companies should carry.
Employees of ViacomCBS are petitioning the company to take down conservative digital news channel “The First” unless the channel cancels a show hosted by former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly that debuted on June 2. The petition says O’Reilly has “a well-documented history of making racist comments, denying the existence of systemic racism, undermining the efforts of Black protesters and insulting Black public figures.” O’Reilly, who was ousted from Fox News in 2017 over allegations of sexual harassment in 2017, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
