Christina Norman, president, MTV, and Brian Graden, president of entertainment, MTV Networks Music Group and president of Logo, announced a radical new organizational structure for MTV that will allow the network to more aggressively develop and deliver dynamic content for audiences across all screens. MTVs multiplatform strategy revolves around building an engaging universe of music, entertainment, news, community and interactivity that allows the audience access to content whenever and wherever they want across a mix of platforms.
MTV's operations will revolve around two new, highly-integrated ecosystems, they said. One will be aligned around the development of short-form video, music and news content for linear television as well as for online, VOD, broadband, wireless and other digital vehicles. The other will focus the continued development of successful long-form franchises, many of which define today's youth culture.
Brian said, "By elevating all platforms to equal footing, we have created a 21st Century matrix for how we will develop and distribute content and connect with our audience." He added, "The creation of these two highly intertwined universes within MTV will allow us to efficiently extend our world class content-development machine across all screens, as well as position us as entertainment leaders on all platforms."
New executive positions and reporting relationships include:
Amy Doyle, formerly vp, music programming, is now svp of music & talent, to lead MTV's overarching music strategy, as well as record label and artist relations. Since she arrived at MTV five years ago, Doyle has embraced the multiplatform strategy and has strived to find non-traditional ways to showcase music. She has pioneered many of MTV's music initiatives, including negotiating with bands like Good Charlotte to create series theme songs, enlisting hip hop artists to star in "Real World" promo campaigns, introducing soundtrack guides on MTV.com, shepherding THE LEAK for MTV.com and extending it to wireless and linear, and migrating emerging artists like Matisyahu and Death Cab for Cutie from mtvU to MTV.
Peter Baron, vp, label relations, MTV & MTV2 expands his duties to assume programming responsibility for VOD, MHD and other emerging platforms. The MTV music group will represent the power of all the MTV platforms, working with labels and artists to launch their albums by encompassing all the ways music fans access music content. Baron and Joanna Bomberg, vp music & talent, MTV, will report to Doyle.
The MTV production group works closely with the music group to create hundreds of hours of music television for vehicles such as TRL, DFX and Spankin' New Music Weeks. This group not only produces compelling television and generates related content for Overdrive, wireless and MTV.com. Tony DiBari is upped from vp to svp, production. Also fueling the various platforms is MTV News, which continues to be helmed by Ocean MacAdams, vp, MTV News.
The music, production and news groups will represent one ecosystem which will be led by Dave Sirulnick who moves from evp News and music, into his new role as evp, MTV multiplatform production, news and music. Sirulnick will connect the three worlds together, streamlining and overseeing the creation of music and short form content for the various platforms under the MTV brand. Under this new structure, Doyle, DiBari and MacAdams report into Sirulnick. Sirulnick will continue to report into Graden.
Partnering with Sirulnick will be Ben White, vp, digital media, along with all the great digital talent, Jason Hirschhorn, MTVN chief digital officer, has brought to the table. Recently, MTV's content has extended further into the wireless space with new partners such as Amp'd and Verizon Wireless.
In broadband, White and his team's leadership in the development of MTV Overdrive were essential and, since launch, have overseen an increase of more than 826% in video streams. He and his team have also transformed MTV.com into an immersive entertainment experience that complements on-air programming and has unique content created solely for the Web. White reports to Sirulnick on content.
While Sirulnick's team is focused on music, short form content, news and new platforms, a parallel team will be solely dedicated to propelling the already thriving linear television business with half-hour and one-hour hits, primarily for MTV's 10 Spot and afternoons. Lois Curren, in her new role as evp, MTV series entertainment and programming and the person behind such groundbreaking series as THE OSBOURNES, NEWLYWEDS, PUNK'D and MEET THE BARKERS, will now be charged with all long-form television development and programming for MTV. Previously Curren, as evp, series development, had overseen west coast TV development only. Curren will continue to report into Graden.
Tony DiSanto, formerly svp, production, development & animation, has been promoted to evp, series development & animation. In addition to continuing to create long form series for MTV, DiSanto will expand his responsibilities to become head of programming for MTV2. Carol Eng, svp, programming for MTV2, will report into DiSanto. DiSanto, who has risen up the ranks of MTV during his 16-year tenure at the company, will now report into Curren on MTV and David Cohn, MTV2's gm, on MTV2.
Knitting together these interdependent areas will be Paul DeBenedittis, formerly svp, program planning & scheduling, and now evp, multiplatform programming, content strategy and scheduling. DeBenedittis will be responsible for strategically programming and scheduling MTV's short-form and long-form content on the appropriate platform. DeBenedittis will serve as the connective tissue that links both ecosystems and reports into both Sirulnick and Curren.
Twenty five years ago, MTV helped revolutionize TV by celebrating short form content. Promos were true art and entertainment in their own right. Today, marketing is increasingly becoming content, acording to an MTV statement. Tina Exarhos moves up from evp marketing to evp of marketing and multiplatform creative. She will continue to manage all marketing and branding efforts for MTV's long-form programming, as well as redefine how we creatively market music and series in a multiplatform era. She and her team will now also develop and produce compelling short-form content across all screens. Exarhos will continue to report to Norman.
Commenting on the new MTV structure, Van Toffler, president of the MTV Networks Music/Logo/Films Group concluded, "MTV is a brand that continually reinvents itself along with the tastes and behavioral shifts of its audience." He added, "This new way of aligning creative talent to tee-up linear and non-linear entertainment for the audience will enable MTV to break through the clutter, launch new music superstars and develop for platforms not yet created."
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 100 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these brands are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 90 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.
