Latest in MTV Networks

CMT, which came under the leadership of Chris McCarthy last November, put up strong results with its broadcast of the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday that McCarthy says offer proof the strategic shift is off to a good start. Simulcast across CMT, Paramount, TVLand, MTV, MTV2, Logo and MTV Classic, the Nashville awards…

Viacom is changing its tune slightly to prepare for pay TV’s game of musical chairs. Facing the possibility that its low-rated channels will be left out of distributors’ new skinny bundles, the company today says it will rebrand MTV Hits into NickMusic, described as “a 24-hour music video destination for kids.” After…

The $785 million hit is the short-term pain for what CEO Philippe Dauman says will be a long term gain: $350 million a year in cost savings, with $175 million in the fiscal year that ends in September. The new figure is up from last month when he told investors to expect net savings of $250 million a year. About $355…

Former MTV Networks and Machinima executive Cameron Saless has joined Jukin Media as executive vice president, heading audience development and strategic partnerships. Saless also was an exec with media site JibJab. Saless will be focused on helping Jukin build audiences on the web, TV and other platforms for the…

It may not sound like much at first, but Cablevision and Time Warner took an important step today to help make TV Everywhere a reality. The companies announced that Cablevision customers now can watch shows from TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and truTV on broadband-enabled devices outside the home — not…

It’s an end of an era at MTV – after what has been years of speculation, Viacom today announced that veteran Judy McGrath is resigning from her position as Chairman and CEO of its MTV Networks. McGrath, who had been at MTV almost from the beginning, starting as a copywriter at the music channel in 1981, and was named…

MTV Networks’ rookie awards show has announced it will give the actor-comedian the inaugural Comedy Icon Award, which goes “to a modern icon, an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to comedy and whose impact and innovations have changed the landscape and inspired future generations of entertainers.&#8221…

Casey Patterson has been promoted to EVP event production, talent development and studio relations for the MTV Networks Entertainment Group. Patterson, who reports to the group’s president Doug Herzog, was formerly SVP of Spike TV and TV Land. In her expanded role, Patterson has developed and will co-executive produce…

Viacom’s MTV Networks, led by Comedy Central, is starting a new comedy awards franchise, The Comedy Awards. The first annual Comedy Awards show will be held at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday, March 26 and will air on Sunday, April 10, 2011, running simultaneously on MTV Networks' Comedy Central…

EXCLUSIVE: Nickelodeon has picked up its flagship animated series SpongeBob SquarePants for a ninth season with a 26-episode order, which will push the veteran series over the 200th episode mark. Season 9 is slated to air in 2012. SpongeBob has been TV's No.1 animated series with kids 2-11 for 10 consecutive years. It…

UPDATED:  CMT's Bob Kusbit is leaving his post as head of development at the end of this year to return to producing full-time through his company, One Louder Prods. Kusbit is a MTV Networks veteran who was an executive at MTV from 1997-2003, creating such franchises for the network as Total Request Live and Made…

MTV Networks has acquired the TV rights to a package of 2010 theatrical films from NBC Universal. Spike TV has attained the rights to Robin Hood, Wolfman, Green Zone and MacGruber. Comedy Central has procured the rights to Get Him to the Greek while MTV has acquired Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Spike TV's broadcast…