Kindle
$9.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$30.89
Audio CD
$25.99
Buy new:
$30.89
FREE delivery: Friday, April 26 on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: Tocs Online
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, April 26 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Wednesday, April 24. Order within 8 hrs 37 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$30.89 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$30.89
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
Tocs Online
Sold by
Tocs Online
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
FREE delivery Monday, April 29 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Wednesday, April 24. Order within 8 hrs 37 mins
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by TEISS
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: Used: Very Good

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime.

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Keach Hagey
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The King of Content: Sumner Redstone's Battle for Viacom, CBS, and Everlasting Control of His Media Empire Hardcover – June 26, 2018

by Keach Hagey (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 69 ratings
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
View Kindle Edition
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$30.89","priceAmount":30.89,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"30","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"89","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"q6hq93gG28v0liOXluGcJN%2BI78%2Beb71C4cDoLxLNsA2ZbNmrZoota%2FP%2FgIHoqLhoVt58myitb9D%2FJz6P%2BOHc9C0FPENoCZSF6y7GODnCCPu6Zr%2BKo0vHit6vqk11bYiKUOolzrro%2FEHMHCAdFVeGDsL7gXbFfJWGCfYcu6YbbIjJ%2B3GbyMx%2FXiGWOiclDjQf","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$14.00","priceAmount":14.00,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"q6hq93gG28v0liOXluGcJN%2BI78%2Beb71Cv0e7i2%2BInNvToYKvRPVCxPTT6kPItUizdMLyi8Nx%2FKMyfLQ2OjvWfLE3NoGViiavusskKzxIhVJIJSdwDaQt0xhr05Ys7WBkG8yLJ3OWMD3FFxCGCI54ca2rrf1fgGa6zv9nxTJsIAlNqSi46NAfK7tUlUNi8368","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The remarkable story of Sumner Redstone, his family legacy, and the battles for all he controlled.

Sumner Murray Redstone (1923–2020), who lived by the credo "content is king," leveraged his father’s chain of drive-in movie theaters into one of the world’s greatest media empires through a series of audacious takeovers designed to ensure his permanent control. Over the course of this meteoric rise, he made his share of enemies and feuded with nearly every member of his family.

In The King of Content, Keach Hagey deconstructs Redstone’s rise from Boston’s West End through Harvard Law School to the highest echelons of American business. The ninety-seven-year-old mogul’s life became a tabloid soap opera, the center of acrimonious legal battles throughout his vast holdings, which included Paramount Pictures and two of the largest public media companies, Viacom and CBS. At the heart of these lawsuits was Redstone’s tumultuous love life and complicated relationship with his children. Redstone’s daughter, Shari, has emerged as his de facto successor, but only after she ousted his closest confidant in a fierce power struggle.

Yet Redstone’s assets face an existential threat that goes beyond his family, disgruntled ex-girlfriends, or even the management of his companies: the changing nature of media consumption. As more and more people cut their cable cords, CBS, with its focus on sports and broadcast TV, has held steady, while Viacom, with its once-great cable channels like MTV and Nickelodeon, has suffered a precipitous fall. As their rivals merge, the question is whether Shari’s push to undo her father’s last big strategic maneuver and recombine CBS and Viacom will be enough to shore up their future.

A biography and corporate whodunit filled with surprising details, The King of Content investigates Redstone’s impact on business and popular culture, as well as the family feuds, corporate battles, and questionable alliances that go back decades—all laid bare in this authoritative book.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harper Business
  4. Publication date
    June 26, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.21 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0062654098
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0062654090
  8. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

The King of Content: Sumner Redstone's Battle for Viacom, CBS, and Everlasting Control of His Media Empire
$30.89
Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 26
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Tocs Online and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy
$17.13
Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
One of these items ships sooner than the other.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The power struggles that have surrounded Viacom and CBS are like the background noise of the business news pages -- seemingly always there, yet somehow not rising to attention unless you’re closely listening for it. Yet it is an epic story that takes a book to examine, one filled with legal conflicts, boardroom battles, angry ex-girlfriends, family drama and a 95-year-old media mogul whose health, Hagey wrote in April in the Wall Street Journal, where she is a reporter, “has declined so significantly he cannot speak much beyond grunts.” It also promises more than just the tabloid soap opera business story, but a look at how much media consumption and its industry is changing.” — Washington Post

From the Back Cover

The remarkable story of Sumner Redstone, his family legacy, and the battles for all he controls

Sumner Murray Redstone, who lived by the credo “content is king,” leveraged his father’s chain of drive-in movie theaters into one of the world’s greatest media empires through a series of audacious takeovers designed to ensure his permanent control. Over the course of this meteoric rise, he made his share of enemies and feuded with nearly every member of his family.

In The King of Content, Keach Hagey deconstructs Redstone’s rise from Boston’s West End through Harvard Law School to the highest echelons of American business. Today the ninety-five-year-old mogul’s life has become a tabloid soap opera, the center of acrimonious legal battles throughout his vast holdings, which include Paramount Pictures and two of the largest public media companies, Viacom and CBS. At the heart of these lawsuits is Redstone’s tumultuous love life and complicated relationship with his children. Redstone’s daughter, Shari, has emerged as his de facto successor, but only after she ousted his closest confidant in a fierce power struggle.

Yet Redstone’s assets face an existential threat that goes beyond his family, disgruntled ex-girlfriends, or even the management of his companies: the changing nature of media consumption. As more and more people cut their cable cords, CBS, with its focus on sports and broadcast TV, has held steady, while Viacom, with its once-great cable channels like MTV and Nickelodeon, has suffered a precipitous fall. As their rivals merge, the question is whether Shari’s push to undo her father’s last big strategic maneuver and recombine CBS and Viacom will be enough to shore up their future.

A biography and corporate whodunit filled with surprising details, The King of Content investigates Redstone’s impact on business and popular culture, as well as the family feuds, corporate battles, and questionable alliances that go back decades—all laid bare in this authoritative book.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Business (June 26, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062654098
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062654090
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.21 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 69 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Keach Hagey

Keach Hagey

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Keach Hagey is the Wall Street Journal beat reporter for Viacom, where she has broken stories on everything from Redstone’s mental capacity tests to his attempts to buy his daughter out of his media empire. Her team’s coverage of the power struggle at Viacom won a Best in Business award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. Prior to the Journal, Hagey covered media at Politico, the National newspaper in Abu Dhabi, CBSNews.com, and the Village Voice. She lives with her family in Irvington, New York.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
69 global ratings
Underwhelming and disappointing
2 Stars
Underwhelming and disappointing
When I picked up the book, I was hoping it would be focused on a discussion of business, his rise, and strategies of countering competitors, but it turned out to be too much about Sumner's personal life with a lot of unwholesome details. Too much of uninteresting stuff that makes him seem all too human and too little of the stuff that really matters. I honestly regret buying the book.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

presidentpaul
5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to know the personality traits to succeed in business, read this book
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
It’s incredible the high level people like Sumner Redstone play on. While most of us live week to week and month to month he controls billions.

I like reading biographies like these for clues on how people like this succeed at such a high level and this gem of a book did not disappoint.

Here are a few highlights from the book;

-Redstone has a steely resolve never to be beaten at anything.
-“Sumner Redstone is a ferocious competitor, and a highly skilled one.”
-“He was ruthless,” Friedberg said. “He would do anything to win.”
-At sixty-three, Sumner Redstone was suddenly a media mogul. He was ebullient.
-“I get up at four a.m.,” Sumner replied. “Anytime after six a.m. come over to the hotel. We’ll get it done in a day.”
-At age seventy, he was at the top of his game,
-“Sumner didn’t like Frank because Frank would leave at five,”
-Sumner told the Boston Globe. “But it’s all funny money. I work harder than ever, 16, 18 hours a day, and I live in the same house in Newton that I bought 35 years ago.”

At an age when most people have long retired Sumner Redstone was really just reaching his stride.

This book was very detailed, meticulously researched and served as a motivational tool and unintentionally a ‘how to’ succeed in business.

This book shows Sumner Redstone as they say ‘warts and all’. As his business success can be admired, his eventual fallout from every single person in his family is both sad and seems unnecessary. He seemed to step on a lot of people for no other reason than to flex his power and increase his wealth just a little bit more.

Excellent book. Flawed subject. Impossible to put down until complete.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Gerard V. S.
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
Insightful story on a very unique individual.
Helpful
 Report
Amanda Haworth
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put the book down
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2022
Verified Purchase
Remarkable multi generational story of a family that changed the global media landscape. Power dynamics, drama, and a willingness to put business above all else. Can't wait for the movie
Helpful
 Report
Karen J. Bellows
5.0 out of 5 stars Most interesting story!
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
I have always enjoyed a great story about a powerful family with all of it’s dysfunction. Reading about the Redstone family was a very interesting tale. Sumner could have lost it all with his arrogance and bravado but managed to keep the ship on course, for now. His daughter Shari seems to be on track. We’ll see how the latest headlines about the CEO of CBS impacts their business further. I would recommend this book if you are also interested in the Hollywood mainstream.
Helpful
 Report
Uncle Elmer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is a highly done book on the business legend Sumner Redstone that anyone interested in modern day tycoons should read. It is a professional and accurate examination of a true legend in the world of communications and busness.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
mandala
1.0 out of 5 stars The book read like a tabloid
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
Disappointing. I was hoping this would be similar to biographies about Lee Iaccoca or Jack Welch, it is not.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Athaporn Arayasantiparb
2.0 out of 5 stars Underwhelming and disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
When I picked up the book, I was hoping it would be focused on a discussion of business, his rise, and strategies of countering competitors, but it turned out to be too much about Sumner's personal life with a lot of unwholesome details. Too much of uninteresting stuff that makes him seem all too human and too little of the stuff that really matters. I honestly regret buying the book.
Customer image
Athaporn Arayasantiparb
2.0 out of 5 stars Underwhelming and disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2018
When I picked up the book, I was hoping it would be focused on a discussion of business, his rise, and strategies of countering competitors, but it turned out to be too much about Sumner's personal life with a lot of unwholesome details. Too much of uninteresting stuff that makes him seem all too human and too little of the stuff that really matters. I honestly regret buying the book.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Gaurav Patel
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating tale of the media industry
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
An amazing story! It’s mind boggling to see how tightly woven Sumner Redstone and his family issues are into the evolution of the media landscape over the past several decades. I highly recommend it!
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Sascha Stradtmann
3.0 out of 5 stars Interessante Summer-Lektüre
Reviewed in Germany on January 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
Das Buch entstand unter dem Eindruck des Machtkampfes von Shari Redstone gegen die damals bei Viacom herrschende Altherren-Riege. Dieser gibt die Autoren auch die Schuld an der Krise des Medienunternehmens und ergreift Partei für die Tochter des Medienmoguls. Das Buch ist nicht wirklich erhellend und zudem parteiisch geschrieben. Einige Themen die Firmeninsidern bekannt sind, werden (bewusst?) ausgeklammert. Trotzdem unterhaltsam zu lesen.
Report
GB
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
A Brilliant and fascinating read. With such TV programmes at the moment as "The Loudest Voice" and "successions" this is a timely read about the media industry. Highly recommended.
Report
Matt P
2.0 out of 5 stars Exhaustively researched
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
So exhaustively researched in fact that it was a slog. I didn't need to know his maternal uncle's career history or any of the thousands of other details that the writer meticulously researched. You would have to be very very interested in Sumner Redstone to enjoy this.
Report