"Pursuing a transaction with someone who would take a minority equity interest would be of great benefit strategically and financially to Paramount and Viacom," Dauman said at the Jefferies Group LLC conference. Viacom's stock has been in a nosedive as the company struggles to boost box office returns at Paramount and TV ratings in the cable unit, which owns MTV and Comedy Central. Paramount ranked last among the six largest film studios in 2015, with its U.S. market share under 6%, less than a third of leader Universal Studios.