Following in the footsteps of NBCUniveral, Viacom has elected to settle out of court with interns disgruntled over their lack of pay while doing work for the company.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the total amount to be paid will be $7.2M.
That amount was said to be more or less in line with the $6.4M paid by NBC, with the higher Viacom total linked to the fact that it used more interns.
The decision to settle was likely based on two factors – the settlement payment avoids paying potentially greater litigation costs, and it also avoids damage on the public relations front.
THR noted that the two settlements have effectively priced the going compensation rate for an internship. The NBC settlement worked out to $505 per intern; the Viacom settlement pegs compensation at $505 per semester of internship.
