MTVN Morphs Digital Strategy With Two Dozen Targeted Websites Built From Its TV Programming
By David Kaplan - Fri 07 Sep 2007 05:05 AM PST
Viacom (NYSE: VIA) morphs its digital strategy again ... MTV Networks will build out two dozen sites devoted to its individual shows, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Once these sites have been introduced, it will give MTVN over 300 sites under its roof worldwide.
Most of the sites, which are designed as portals for a particular program and related subjects, are slated to go live by Q108. Among the first to get the new web treatment is TheDailyShow.com, which will house every episode since the program’s beginning. It will launch sometime during Q4. Also, two hours after a show has been broadcast, the website will make it available in its entirety. Other shows getting the same full web treatment include Comedy Central’s The Sarah Silverman Program, MTV’s Engaged and Underage and Nickelodeon’s iCarly.
Breaking out sites along the lines of single programs is meant to provide more targeting for advertisers. Mika Salmi, president of global digital media at MTVN, told THR that the company decided to expand its vertical digital after finding that recent experiments, such as Comedy Central’s Indecision2008.com, MTV’s YoMomma.TV and SuperSweet16.com, helped attract more web users to its sites. Still, Brian Graden, president of entertainment for the MTVN Music Group, conceded that some vertical sites haven’t caught fire. Graden added that some sites take more time to develop and said the company’s not giving up on the laggards just yet. It can afford to as THR, citing comScore figures, noted that MTVN’s websites saw traffic rise to 91 million unique visitors in July, a gain of nearly 20 percent from 76 million in January.
Update: ClickZ has more about how MTVN is testing ways of incorporating video ads beyond pre-and-post roll. Graden offered as an example an Adidas sponsorship of the site created for the showMade that offered the ability to place virtual items with logos on avatars within the site.
Posted in: Companies, Viacom, MTVN, Entertainment, Media, TV, Cable & Telecom
