LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Without "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica," is the honeymoon over at MTV?
The recent wave of new series at the Viacom-owned cable powerhouse is not matching the ratings or buzz of the three high-profile programs that departed last month. "Newlyweds," which starred married tabloid fixtures
Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, signed off the same week as its successful spinoff, "The Ashlee Simpson Show," and the former granddaddy of celebrity-verite TV, "The Osbournes."
Cameron Diaz might be as blond and beautiful as Simpson, but her new series "Trippin"' has gotten a tepid reception. Former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker of "Meet the Barkers" is not whipping up the frenzy another tattooed rocker dad, Ozzy Osbourne, did. Even MTV's most reliable standby, "The Real World," has cooled.
Brian Graden, president of entertainment at MTV Networks Music Group, believes the network's consistent track record of churning out trendsetting sensations like "Newlyweds" distorts perceptions of the network.
"We've seem to have made such a disproportionate amount of noise over the last few years, so much so that I worry a show could overshadow the bigger idea of MTV," he said.
The big idea at MTV is maintaining the dominant media brand among young viewers. If, as Viacom suggested in its first-quarter earnings this month, cable division MTV Networks is the crown jewel of the company, MTV itself is perhaps the shiniest gem; Kagan Media projects the network will be the only cable property to rake in more than $1 billion in advertising revenue this year, eclipsing other MTV Networks brands including Nickelodeon and VH1.
Horizon Media senior vp research Brad Adgate sees the network in a challenging space. "It's difficult for MTV to target the teen market, which is very fluid," he said. "Once something becomes too popular, it goes out of vogue with teens. MTV always has to reinvent a new programming genre."
While the first quarter marked its eighth straight first-quarter growth, MTV saw its 10-11 p.m. original-series showcase, billed as "The 10 Spot," lose steam, decreasing 10% to 1.14 million in the 12-34 target demographic from last year. In April, "10 Spot's" drop grew to 22% and its total-day rating sagged 7%.
MTV sells advertisers total-day ratings rather than the traditional 8-11 p.m. primetime because it mostly repeats its hit series between 8-10 p.m. (its primetime ratings also are down). The network is getting increased competition for young viewers from the likes of Cartoon Network's spin-off channel, Adult Swim.
Part of the blame goes to the series that were its mainstays. On Wednesdays, "Newlyweds" fell 29% to 1.5 million in 12-34 in the first quarter from its own performance at 10 p.m. the previous season. On Tuesdays, "Real World" dropped at similar levels.
In recent weeks, MTV has not gotten encouraging results from the latest batch of new series. "Power Girls," which featured notorious publicist Lizzie Grubman, was down more than 40% in 12-34 in its "10 Spot" time slot from the previous year. "Barkers" is flat by the same measurement but down 33% in the sweet spot of the demo, ages 12-17. Still, MTV is expected to order another season of the show.
Perhaps MTV's most high-profile struggling new series is "Trippin'," which features Diaz traveling to various hot spots throughout the world to highlight environmental issues endemic to that particular region. Despite featuring an A-list actress, "Trippin"' is down 39% among ages 12-34 versus last year's time-period delivery of "I Want a Famous Face."
Sources say MTV was unhappy with the globe-trotting footage, which the network was unable to edit out the National Geographic-style tone that made it more serious than MTV's other fare. But Graden said that "Trippin"' had loftier intentions than ratings.
"It was important for us to do because Cameron is a huge star with our audience, and there was a pro-social message, which is part of the fabric of MTV," he said.
As for "Real World," its downturn was not well timed; MTV pacted this year with Bunim-Murray Prods. for five more seasons of the series, the network's first long-term deal with any production company. But Graden noted that "World," which is heading into its 16th season, has dipped in the past only to rebound stronger than ever. "I'd have to see two or three seasons do something in pattern before I'd worry," Graden said.
As many as 16 new series are scheduled to roll out this year, including another "Newlyweds" spinoff about Lachey's efforts to record an album, and "That '70s House," which plucks a select group of teens to live in a house out of the 1970s.
MTV remains the front-runner in the 12-34 demos, with seven of the top 20 series this past week. The network is seeing plenty of potency in its "Sunday Stew" lineup, which includes "Punk'd" and "Pimp My Ride." MTV will add another new series to the Stew next month, "The Andy Milonakis Show," to be produced by Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla's Jackhole Industries.
