I applied online and got a call from the Recruiter the very next morning for a phone screen. The Recruiter was able to set a 30 minute phone call with the Hiring Manager the very next day. I must say I was impressed by both the Recruiter and the Hiring Manager because they spent adequate time explaining the role in depth, making the candidate comfortable and answering all questions. It was made to sound like I was a perfect fit for the job as my experiences matched the position completely.
I was called onsite within a day for another round with the team. This included three members of the team (30 minutes each), one of who was the outgoing team member who's position I was being interviewed for (needless to say these team members were pretty senior and experienced). Once again, the interviewers were very warm and friendly. Before I even got home, I received another email from the HR that I was selected for the final round with the VP and I was to come back the following week for another 30 minute round onsite.
Round 3: The VP seemed to have gotten on the wrong side of the bed that morning and even though the interview went okay (standard behavioral questions like biggest strengths, challenges etc.) I was able to sense something amiss. Although it seemed unlikely that after having interviewed with 5 other people thus far, the VP would reject me outright but I guess that's what happened. So far, the HR had been giving results and scheduling time within hours. This time I was asked to wait a couple of weeks. The weeks turned into months and every time I emailed to inquire, I was told that I was still under consideration for the position. It's been three months now and so far, the last communication I received was that the position is being 're-thought' and that I was 'still under consideration'. Although I must say that the HR/Recruiters have been pretty responsive and reply immediately (I was in touch with 2 HRs, I emailed both for status updates), I was pretty annoyed that they kept me hanging without a formal decline. Candidate anxiety should be cared for and keeping someone on an indefinite hold is a bit unprofessional.
Anyway, overall, I've been somewhat impressed by the interview process at Viacom, particularly by their hiring managers and teams; they do have some fine people, I was super impressed by their swanky office and facilities at Times Sq., NYC. I wouldn't mind applying in future again although I did get another job already and have stopped looking.