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LA Times

MTV Programming Chief Out the Door, Will Lead High-Profile Online Content Initiative

Jul 23, 2015  •  Post A Comment

The veteran TV executive who has been head of programming for MTV for the past three years is headed out the door. The Los Angeles Times reports that Susanne Daniels is leaving the network to take on a key position with YouTube.

The report cites an internal memo to MTV staffers.

“Daniels, a former top executive at Lifetime and the now-gone WB Network and a consultant at Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network, joined the MTV fold in 2012, succeeding David Janollari in the position,” the Times reports. “She came on board at a time when the cable network was experiencing a ratings slide and was on the verge of losing its signature hit, ‘Jersey Shore.’”

Daniels’ tenure included the launches of “Finding Carter,” “Faking It” and “Scream.” But the report notes that the ratings picture hasn’t improved much at MTV, in part because young viewers continue to migrate to mobile devices.

“In the first quarter of 2015, ratings for MTV’s target demographic were down 29% compared with the same period last year,” the Times reports.

The news of Daniels’ departure comes just one day after news broke of a shakeup at sister Viacom channel VH1, where President Tom Calderone announced he’s stepping down.

Daniels will reportedly take on a newly created position overseeing YouTube’s original content initiative as VP of YouTube originals.

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