While some might see Redstone's week abroad as a well-timed tropical getaway amid homegrown headaches, it's actually a business trip to further Redstone's interests in South Korea and Japan.

The Viacom and CBS chairman, who turns 85 this month, will meet with dignitaries, company leaders and his own staff in pursuit of a fortified global presence, especially in television and film.

On May 6, he'll deliver the keynote address at a digital media confab in Seoul. He'll meet with recently elected prez Lee Myung Bak about the rise of Internet Protocol TV, among other topics.

"I've been doing this since I acquired Viacom," Redstone says. "We thought it was a good time on a company level and a macro-economic level to do this trip."

There is plenty happening on the home front, of course. Viacom's new pay TV joint venture with Lionsgate and MGM plans to announce carriage news. The new entity is contending with both industry skepticism and grumbles from CBS, whose Showtime is losing output deals and gaining a competitor.

The CBS upfront will be held in Gotham on May 12, shortly after Redstone's return. While CBS posted better-than-expected earnings, the corporate drama surrounding the division of Redstone's formerly singular conglom continues. At a sports media confab in L.A. on April 30, Redstone said he disagreed with CBS chief Leslie Moonves' decision to air mixed martial arts fights, for example.

On the global front, however, Viacom's cable channels have estimable reach and penetration and Redstone wants to keep the focus on expansion. Brands like CNN and Disney span the globe, obviously, but MTV and Nickelodeon have been pushing out internationally for a generation.

The stats are eye-catching: MTV is now in 161 territories, with 43 channels clearing 645 million households. Nick's 24 channels reach 355 million households in 152 territories and VH1's dozen channels are in 177 million households in 132 territories.

The next wave involves Comedy Central (four channels, 14 territories, 47 million households) and BET, which recently launched in the U.K. and is eyeing Europe and South Africa.

Paramount Intl., meanwhile, is still fine-tuning its transition out of the former multi-partner structure of United Intl. Pictures. "Iron Man," which Paramount is distribbing in most territories around the world, will be a day-and-date release and Redstone will touch base with Asian distribs while in the neighborhood.

Redstone will be joined by MTV international execs Bill Roedy and Bob Bakish, as well as corporate spokesman Carl Folta. The group has logged numerous long-distance treks to Turkey, Germany and China in recent years, but their octogenarian leader has proven the most resilient.

"I never have jetlag," the chairman boasts. "I take antioxidants and exercise for 70 minutes a day."

Upon returning from a 20-hour flight recently, "everyone else seemed exhausted," Redstone recalls. "I asked Carl what he was going to do and he said he was heading to bed.

"I went out immediately to play tennis."