Publications
Publications
- January 2018
- HBS Case Collection
Viacom: Democratization of Data Science
By: Shane Greenstein and Christine Snively
Abstract
In two short years, Viacom’s Data Science & Advanced Analytics team built a web platform called Science Central that allowed employees from Viacom’s 20+ cable networks to access television audience insights through three data science apps. In the past, employees would have approached the team to carry out these requests. Vice President of Data and Audience Development Fabio Luzzi, who oversaw the 10-person team, believed that making data science instantly available in accessible formats would allow teams to make better-informed decisions. By June 2017, the platform had 600 regular users, but Luzzi wanted to expand its reach. He considered whether the team should focus on strengthening the platform or devote more resources to custom analytics requests that would allow the team to explore new problems and develop new insights.
Keywords
Data Science; Big Data; Digital Platforms; Analytics and Data Science; Expansion; Strategic Planning
Citation
Greenstein, Shane, and Christine Snively. "Viacom: Democratization of Data Science." Harvard Business School Case 618-016, January 2018.