MTV President Steps Down After Just a Year on the Job

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Sean Atkins, the media veteran hired last year by Viacom to right the ship at MTV and bring the network back to its music roots, is stepping down.

He will stay on as a consultant through January to help smooth the transition to a new leader, according to a memo to staff Monday.

Atkins leaves the network amid declining ratings and an uncertain future of MTV’s parent company as Viacom considers a merger with CBS Corp.

During his brief tenure, Atkins strived to reclaim MTV’s status as the arbiter of cool for teenagers and young adults. He focused on music to revitalize one of the most recognizable brands in modern pop culture, and lure a new generation of young viewers who have replaced “Total Request Live” with YouTube and Snapchat.

He ordered MTV’s first regular live music series in almost 20 years and brought back MTV’s news division. Atkins also transformed the network’s VH1 Classic brand into MTV Classic to be the new home for old TV hits “Beavis & Butt-head,” “Daria” and “Jackass” and reruns of music shows “Unplugged” and “Storytellers.”

With more competition from streaming platforms like Netflix and fewer fresh hits, MTV has hemorrhaged viewers in recent years — and is one of Viacom’s biggest losers. Viewership declined 16 percent during prime time in the third quarter as the network’s attempt to attract new audiences fell flat, according to research by Bloomberg Intelligence.

All told, ratings at MTV among the network’s target demographic have declined at an annual rate of 17 percent since 2011, according to data from research firm MoffettNathanson.

“We’ve filled the creative pipeline with so many new projects and producers,” Atkins said in the memo. “This tremendous creative effort is a recipe for success and it will pay off.”

Prior to joining MTV, Atkins served as general manager and executive vice president of digital media and strategy at Discovery Communications.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg ยท Paul Barbagallo

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