Viacom’s McCarthy to oversee MTV

Viacom has given Chris McCarthy, president of VH1 and Logo, responsibility for its US cablenet MTV.

Chris McCarthy

The promotion has resulted in the departure of current MTV president Sean Atkins, who announced his resignation to staff yesterday after only a year in the job.

Atkins joined Viacom from Discovery Communications, where he was general manager and exec VP of digital media and strategy, in October 2015.

“The power of the MTV brand is its ability to let go everything it knows and reinvent for the next generation of youth, and I’m excited to push the boundaries of what it can be in this transformative time,” said McCarthy.

The move comes after McCarthy took over responsibility for Logo in June this year, less than 12 months after he was named general manager of VH1. He joined Viacom at the beginning of 2006.