Rock Band Pushes Viacom Q1 Profits Up 33%

MTV and Nickelodeon parent company Viacom has reported profits up 33 percent to $270 million in its first quarter on the success of Harmonix's Rock Band, with its Media Networks division revenues rising 16 percent to $2.02 billion.

Overall, Viacom revenue rose 15 percent to $3.12 billion in the first quarter. As reported in March, the success of Rock Band saw as much as $208.7 million in performance bonuses being set aside for the developer, with further payouts due in 2009 for its sales over the coming year.