The turnover continues at MTV
September 30, 2015
Months after the departure of programming president Susanne Daniels, MTV president Stephen Friedman is on his way out as well.
Friedman has resigned amidst much turmoil at the network, where ratings have been on a decline for some time. Earlier this year, Viacom veteran Doug Herzog was put in charge of MTV Networks, which apparently precipitated Friedman’s resignation.
Herzog named a replacement for Friedman after interviewing a number of candidates (Friedman tendered his resignation in April but agreed to stay on through the upfronts and until a successor had been found).
Sean Atkins, the general manager and executive vice president of digital media and strategy at Discovery Communications, will step into the role.
That’s telling, because Atkins is a well-known digital guy.
It signals the future direction of MTV, which makes sense. The network targets people 12-34, including a large number of viewers who were basically raised on the internet.
MTV will need to become more competitive in digital in order to maintain its edge with Generations Y and Z, at a time when some are even cutting the cable cord and eschewing traditional TV entirely.
MTV does have a substantial digital presence and live-streams big events such as the recent “MTV Video Music Awards.” But it’s monetizing those online audiences that will be one of the big challenges for Friedman.
Tags: cable, mtv, mtv digital, mtv president, Sean Atkins, Stephen Friedman
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