Vice Deciding Whether to go Public, as it Plans TV Channels

In a wide-ranging interview with CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Vice CEO Shane Smith said that the company is deciding whether to go public or "do a sort of larger, major strategic deal," and should have an answer by the end of this year.

The company has that fairly tight timeline, Smith said, as it plans to launch a long-rumored (but never officially confirmed) cable TV channel in the U.S., as well as a dozen channels in Europe and other emerging markets. Vice's pitch to advertisers for the channel, which was supposed to be announced earlier this year, featured Kanye West, lots of music, and fewer commercials.