MUMBAI: The next couple of years at Viacom is likely to see a fierce tussle for the CEO's position. After Mel Karmazin stepped down yesterday as the company's COO, MTV head Tom Freston and CBS boss Les Moonves were appointed co-presidents and COOs.

Sumner Redstone will give up his role as CEO within three years. That should be enough time for Freston and Moonves to prove their capabilities of heading the media conglomerate. While it is a toss up as to which of them will succeed Redstone and who will lose out it is Indiantelevision.com's reading that Freston is ahead at this stage simply because his portfolio is wider.

As of now, in addition to MTV, Freston will oversee Showtime, BET, Paramount Parks, Simon & Schuster and the movie studio Paramount Pictures. Moonves on the other hand will have charge over Viacom's broadcast television businesses, as well as Paramount TV, Infinity Broadcasting and Viacom Outdoor.