Viacom to rebrand Spike

Viacom will rebrand its cablenet Spike as The Paramount Network in early 2018 as part of new president and CEO Bob Bakish’s plans to revitalise the media giant.

Bob Bakish

The Paramount Network will serve as Viacom’s “premier general entertainment brand,” featuring original scripted and non-scripted programming alongside third-party programming.

Viacom has rolled Spike out internationally in recent years, beginning with the UK in 2015, followed by the Netherlands and Flanders.

Bakish, who was promoted to the top role at Viacom towards the end of 2016 following a turbulent year for the company, yesterday outlined the following five-point plan for growth: “Put the full power of Viacom behind six flagship brands: BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Paramount; revitalise and elevate approach to content and talent; deepen partnerships to drive traditional revenue; make big moves in the digital world and physical world; continue to optimise and energise the organisation.”

Among the new initiatives being introduced are greater collaboration between Paramount, Viacom’s movie division, and children’s network Nickelodeon, following Bakish’s comments last month that Viacom had become too “siloed” over the years.

The two will begin the new relationship with four feature films, the first of which, Amusement Park, will premiere in theatres in summer 2018 and will launch as a TV series on Nickelodeon the following year.

Viacom is also set to establish its first ever dedicated shortform content unit, which will create content based on existing programming as well as all-new original IP.

“Building on our leading domestic and growing international footprint, this strategy will expand the depth and reach of our flagship brands across multiple platforms and around the world, while also providing for more competitive differentiation and increased adaptability for our business overall,” said Bakish.

“There is much work to be done but we are confident we have the plan and people to take our brands to greater heights and build a bright future for our company.”