Viacom chairman and CEO Sumner M Redstone will receive the Media Person of the Year Award at this year's Cannes Lions Festival. The trophy will be presented to Redstone during the Press, Outdoor and Media Lions Awards Ceremony on 18 June.

Redstone is being recognised for establishing Viacom as one of the world's premier entertainment and media companies. Viacom is also the planet's largest platform for advertising, holding commanding positions in broadcasting and cable television, radio broadcasting and outdoor advertising media. 

Viacom is the only media company to own two US broadcast networks, CBS and UPN; and manages a total of nine cable programming services, including the global youth brand MTV, which reaches 450 million homes around the world and children's network Nickelodeon, with a reach of 225 million. As CEO since 1987, Redstone made it a leading global and diversified media company. 

The 49th International Advertising Festival will be held from 16 to 22 June 2002 in Cannes, France with over 9,000 delegates from the advertising and allied industries in attendance to celebrate the creme de la creme of creativity in all major media, discuss industry issues and network with one another. Over 17,000 ads from all over the world are showcased at the Festival and a unique programme of high-profile seminars, organized by some of the biggest names in the industry, is also presented. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion awards, honoring the most creative TV/cinema, print, outdoor and online advertising, as well as the best media and direct marketing solutions.