（Tsinghua News Center） The successful operation of media conglomerate VIACOM Incorporated comes from a basic ABC approach to business, according to VIACOM president and CEO Sumner Redstone.

First, acquire and develop quality products, Redstone told 500 students and faculty gathered for his speech “A Passion to Win” at the Main Building March 20. He emphasized that “content is the key” to high quality in media programming, especially in the era of information saturation.

Then, “brand is value,” Redstone said, naming MTV Networks and CBS Enterprises as cases in point. “We never knew MTV International would have such great success at the beginning of the 1980s, but it now a very famous international brand that has gained popularity among young people all over the world,” he said.

And C is for copyrights. Mr. Redstone referred to the serious problem of piracy in China, and the Chinese government’s measures to stem sales of unlicensed DVDs and VCDs in the country.

Shifting to the personal, Mr. Redstone spoke of the role his “passion to win” has played in his long business career. He said one of the secrets to success is always keeping young people around you to challenge your ideas and help improve your company.

A regular traveler to China since 1997, Mr. Redstone said he has an enduring interest in the rich Chinese culture. He discussed the enormous potential of the Chinese media market, and emphasized that cooperation with China is extremely important.

During his visit to Tsinghua, Mr. Redstone signed a letter of intent for strategic cooperation with Tsinghua Tongfang Corporation, one of the university’s holding corporations.

After the speech, Mr. Redstone answered students’ questions, which touched on the development plan of VIACOM in China in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics.

The speech was hosted by Vice President Gong Ke.

Reported by Che Jing

Photoed by Guo Haijun