Virtual Worlds Forum

Viacom plans to expand its presence in virtual worlds, casual online gaming and the mobile arena. Nickelodeon's virtual community site, Nicktropolis, currently has 4.5 million registered users and nearly 1 million users have registered on one of MTV's virtual worlds, which include The Hills and Virtual Laguna Beach. Viacom plans to launch several more virtual worlds before the end of the year. CEO Philippe Dauman: "We're really just beginning to tap into the revenue streams that virtual worlds offer, with advertisers selling virtual Nikes on The Hill and virtual neo-pet accessories for very real dollars."