The Paramount Network, Viacom’s Spike network rebranded as a premium entertainment channel, racked up higher ratings in its first week on the air.

More on Paramount Network: Drawing More Eyes With Fewer Spots

In prime time, Paramount said it was up 93% in adults 18 to 49 and 85% in total viewers compared with the same week last quarter. Spike’s ratings dropped 24% last year.

Spike had been aimed at men, but Paramount is aiming for a more balanced audience. Viewing last week by women 18 to 49 was up 82% compared with last quarter.

The premiere of Paramount’s original miniseries Waco drew a 101 ratings among adults 18-49 and 1.9 million total viewers. The show was simulcast on CMT, totaling 2.4 million viewers and a 1.4 demo rating.

There were only nine minutes of commercials in last week’s premiere of Waco, the first piece of high-profile, big-ticket programming on Viacom’s new Paramount Network.

The low advertising load — with half the normal number of breaks, and each break a bit shorter than usual — is part of the network’s attempt to simulate the experience viewers get on premium channels. There were no commercials until about 16 minutes into the episode, a big change for Viacom, which has been criticized for stuffing too many spots into shows on its networks to make up for declining ad revenue.

Kevin Kay, president of Paramount Network, CMT and TV Land, said he hoped viewers would notice the lack of ads. Just in case, before the first ad pod, which contained a one-minute trailer for a new movie from Paramount Pictures, the network announced that, “The world premiere of Waco is presented with limited commercial interruptions by the new film Annihilation.”

“I think the viewer will feel and understand that they saw something different,” Kay said. “I think if you’re a viewer of scripted premium and you see a trailer for a big feature, it doesn’t feel like [a commercial], with all due respect to all of our other sponsors.”

Paramount Network replaced Spike TV on Jan. 18, launching with a live edition of one of Spike’s higher-rated shows, Lip Sync Battle. Spike was struggling, with viewership among adults 18-49 down 24% during 2017. Paramount’s live Lip Sync Battle had the series’s highest rating since June 23, 2016.

The Waco premiere drew a 0.6 overnight rating and 1.1 million viewers to Paramount (more with the simulcast on CMT). Paramount called the performance “very encouraging” on a competitive night and expects the show to get a boost when delayed viewing is added in. Tinkering with ad formats is one way the Paramount Network aims to entice viewers and advertisers.

Related: Ratings Up in First Week for New Paramount Network

“We realized the viewers are used to not having to watch commercials on the [subscription video-on-demand] platforms for sure; HBO and Showtime as well,” Kay said. “But we’re still pay cable, and somebody’s got to pay the bills. These shows ain’t cheap. But one of the things we’re talking about is how do we change that viewing experience and make it more like a premium experience.”

Kay said future episodes of Waco would have a similarly low ad load, as will upcoming programs Heathers, Yellowstone and American Woman.

Those ’70s Ads
Another idea Paramount has for creating a premium environment involves having advertisers create 1970s-style commercials to air in American Woman, because the show is set in Beverly Hills in the ’70s.

“You’ll feel like you’re still in the ’70s when you’re in the commercial breaks,” Kay said. “We are out there selling and we’ve got a lot of interest.”

The network is also looking to have individual advertisers sponsor entire episodes.

“I think ideas like that are what we need to continue to refine,” Kay said. “But I think we’re off to a good start because we’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on these ideas and a lot of people want to work with us.”

Advertisers like the idea of a less-cluttered commercial environment.

“Giving consumers a positive viewing experience can only help the advertising efficacy,” Havas Media chief investment officer Jason Kanefsky said.

It’s an idea that other networks have put in place. Turner has cut the ad load on truTV and in original series on TNT and TBS. Also, NBC reduced the number of spots on Saturday Night Live. But the bigger question may be whether the TV business needs another network.

“In a world where [over-the-top] is becoming more important and smart televisions are allowing consumers to pick and choose shows, as opposed to picking and choosing networks, branding and rebranding networks doesn’t necessarily create success,” Kanefsky said.

The success of Paramount Network is a key part of Viacom CEO Bob Bakish’s strategy to turn around Viacom, which has been suffering from declining ratings, lower ad revenue and falling profit. Analysts have embraced Bakish’s plan to focus investment on a handful of flagship networks, including Paramount.

While the Spike TV rebranding didn’t work out for Viacom, Kagan senior analyst Derek Baine said the Paramount name is better-known. “Hopefully, the rebrand and a bigger programming budget will result in a more successful rebranding,” Baine said.

Kagan forecasts Paramount Network will generate $375.1 million in net ad sales in 2018, up 36% from Spike’s $276.2 million in 2017. “We are projecting ratings go from a 0.3 to a 0.4, which is not hard to do with a rebranding,” Baine said.

Kay said the Paramount Network doesn’t plan to cut ad loads on shows that are already on the air. But with the network ratcheting up its star power and shifting focus from men to attracting a broader audience, advertisers are already responding.

Spike’s air was filled with shows including Cops, as well as Impact Wrestling and Bellator MMA action, that scared off some content-sensitive advertisers.

“Cops was always a tough sell, wrestling was a tough sell. We’ve worked hard over the last month and a half to change that perception,” Kay said.

The network has cut back on those shows and added classic sitcoms including Friends and Two and a Half Men to its daytime lineup. “We’re seeing a lot of new sponsors interested in the Paramount Network,” said Kay. Procter & Gamble is advertising more, Sonic remains a big supporter and Delta Faucet has signed on.

Adding star power to its original programs might also help.

Kay said he recently watched the first cut of the first episode of Yellowstone.

“When Kevin Costner gets up on his horse and puts on the cowboy hat, that’s money,” he said.

Viacom stock rose more than 6% on Thursday after CEO Bob Bakish pulled the cover off a new plan to focus on six core brands and drive future profitability.

Bakish, who was named permanent CEO in December after a bloody battle between his predecessor Philippe Dauman and Viacom’s top shareholder Sumner Redstone, unveiled a five-point plan to bring the troubled programmer back to profitability.

Despite some trepidation from analysts, investors appeared to cheer the new direction in early trading; driving Viacom shares up by more than 6% ($2.93 each) to $45 per share. The stock was priced at $43.95, up 4.5% ($1.88 per share) at around 11:05 a.m. Thursday.

Bakish offered some more details of the plan on a conference call with analysts to discuss fiscal Q1 results, where revenue increased by 3% for the period but operating income fell 11%. On the call, EVP and chief financial officer Wade Davissaid while the new direction could start to show some concrete results as son as the second half of the fiscal year.

That will likely be in the form of higher affiliate fees. While affiliate revenue was up about 2% in the quarter, Davis said guidance for the full year is in the mid-to-high single digit range.

Bakish said that some aspects of the plan will take some time. For instance, Viacom’s “Flagship 6” networks will be required to contribute one-to-two co-branded films to the Paramount slate each year, which could take two or more years. He added that the Nickelodeon network already has some properties in the pipeline – the first film, an animated feature called Amusement Park will hit theaters in 2018, followed by a TV series the following year.

Bakish stressed that while Viacom will focus on the Flagship 6 brands, that doesn’t mean the other channels are going away.

Bakish said that Viacom’s other networks, like VH1 and Logo, still have prospects going forward, just not global prospects. But he stressed that the changes don’t mean these channels are going to disappear.

“You should not interpret this as a light-switch move of a whole bunch of networks going away,” Bakish said. “That is not what this is about. This is about focusing resources to drive the highest possible performance of these Flagship 6 brands.”

And the core networks will undergo some changes as well. Bakish said that MTV will invest more in reality programming like its U.K. counterpart. And other networks will see some changes too.

For example Comedy Central will expand into the festival space in the U.S. through a partnership with Superfly, the same company behind the annual Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival. And Bakish added that Spike – slated to be rebranded The Paramount Network in 2018 – will take advantage of potential growth opportunities for its Bellator mixed-martial arts programming.

Viacom also sees opportunities with virtual MVPDs like Amazon, Hulu and Sony PlayStation Vue, especially in packages that deemphasize sports programming.

“The Flagship 6 is essentially the strongest entertainment pack that you could get in the market, bec you have preschool, kids, young adults, comedy, African American and you’re going to have a marquee general entertainment network. That is a very significant cornerstone. I believe that ultimately the market will embrace that.”

Spike is launching a new interactive app for its series Lip Sync Battle.

The launch coincides with the debut of the show's third season.

Spike said the app allows fans to create lip-synch videos for favorite songs and battle friends by sharing the videos via social media.

“Lip sync battling has become a cultural phenomenon with fans around the world, now seen in over 150 countries globally,” executive producers Casey Patterson and Jay Peterson said in a joint statement. "We're thrilled that our passionate fans will now be able to join in all the fun with the definitive app which replicates the unique experience of being on the show."

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Spike Tv’s first Premier Boxing Championship fight card of 2016 delivered knockout ratings for the network.

Spike’s April 1 Adrien Broner-Ashley Theophane boxing card averaged 873,000 viewers, the network’s most watched PBC fight since the network launched the series last year, according to network officials.

The Broner-Theophane fight itself drew more than 1 million viewers from 10:36 to 11:21, making it the most watched PBC fight in network history, said network officials.

Spike TV will team with sister Viacom service Nickelodeon to produce a kids-themed spinoff of Spike's popular Lip Sync Battle series, the networks announced Monday.

The special, Lip Sync Battle Jr.,  will offer a “fresh take” on Spike’s star-studded series and will celebrate kids’ love of music and comedy. While it will feature lip syncing battles made famous by its parent series, it’s unclear whether the special will feature celebrity-kids battling against each other.

In addition, other Viacom brands will develop special editions of Lip Sync Battle events, but Spike would not reveal specifics.

Lip Sync Battle is currently averaging more than 4 million viewers (Nielsen Live+7).

Viacom executive chairman and CEO Philippe Dauman, coming off his own "annus horriblis" in 2015, didn't find much solace in the first quarter of fiscal 2016, as low ratings and a slumping ad market continued to pressure the media giant.

About a week after former executive chairman Sumner Redstone handed the baton to Dauman, and after receiving a 22% increase in total compensation in fiscal 2015, Dauman tried to put an optimistic face on what was a disappointing quarter, with consolidated revenue down 6% to $3.15 billion.

Media Networks, which includes cable channels MTV, Comedy Central and Spike, saw revenue decline 3%, fueled by a 4% dip in domestic ad sales. International ad sales were down 2%, mainly a result of a strong dollar. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, international ad revenue would have increased by 6% in the period.

Declining ratings and a viewership that is increasingly replacing linear TV with online and mobile content have pressured the company for more than a year. That, and Redstone's declining health and questions around succession at the company, have weighed heavily on Viacom stock, down 45% in 2015.

Dauman has made changes, shaking up management last year and pumping more money into original content, and the Viacom chief said in a statement that those efforts are beginning to show results. Ratings at most of its networks are beginning to show improvement, and Nickelodeon has recaptured its crown as the top network for kids ageds2-to-11.

"2015 was a challenging year operationally as we redesigned ourselves and adapted to significant industry disruption," Dauman said. "Our first fiscal quarter of 2016 reflected these challenges. However, our revitalized organization and our investments in content, technology and strategic innovation are now beginning to bear fruit. Although our industry continues to face headwinds, we expect our positive momentum to continue and build throughout the year."

Spike has inked an eighth season of its tattoo-competition series Ink Master, the network said Monday.

Spike in 2016 will begin filming 15 one-hour episodes as well as a live finale, said network officials. The recently completed season six of Ink Master generated a series record 2.4 million viewers.

Season seven of Ink Master debuts next spring and will feature returning show favorite contestants.

“Ink Master delivered yet again a compelling and entertaining season packed with incredible artistic expression and creativity mixed in with big drama,” said Sharon Levy, Executive Vice President, Original Series for Spike. “The record ratings are a testament to our partners at Original Media and our phenomenal hosting/judging trio of Dave Navarro, Oliver Peck, and Chris Nunez. We are thrilled to this great team back for Season 8.”  

RELATED:MCN Review: Tut

Spike’s scripted 3-night event-series Tut jumped out to a fast start, averaging 1.7 million viewers in its premiere run, the network said Monday.

The series, which stars Ben Kingsley and Avan Jogia, drew an additional 934,000 across two additional airings to finish with 2.6 million viewers, said network officials.  

“We are thrilled that Tut resonated with viewers and delivered a big audience for Spike’s first scripted event series in almost a decade,” said Sharon Levy, executive vice president of original series in a statement. “The big numbers are a testament the hard work and creativity of the incredible cast and crew of Tut.”

RELATED:'Tut' Unwraps 1.7 Million Viewers in Premiere Run

A little bit Spartacus, a little bit Game of Thrones, this miniseries imagining of Egypt’s boy king, Tutankhamun, as a warrior hero in search of honor, love and truth is highly formulaic but also colorful and fun.

The best parts of night one (of three) are the bright-colored palace architecture in the imagined Thebes and the battle scenes in the desert, with hundreds of extras and horse-driven chariots.

Avon Jogia is fine as Tut, who’s forced to marry his sister but later finds love when he surreptitiously goes off to fight with his armies, learning the truth about palace plots being hatched by such stock characters as the ambitious General Horemheb (Nonso Anozie, last seen in Game of Thrones), High Priest Amun (Alexander Siddig, also a GOT alum) and Vizier Ay (Ben Kingsley, who does not seem to be over-inspired by the role).

Spke has teamed with acclaimed film producer Kurt Wimmer (Salt) to develop a scripted drama series.

The show, When The Levee Breaks, focuses on an illegal strike by the the Los Angeles Police Department triggered by the questionable motivations behind the murders of the two racist cops whose deaths provoked the strike, Spike officials said.

"We are thrilled to partner with such an incredibly innovative and creative film visionary such as Kurt Wimmer," said Sharon Levy, executive vice president, original series, Spike TV. "Kurt is the perfect example of the big and bold voices with an edge that we are looking for to further our mission to create distinctive original programming."

Spike TV has renewed tattoo series Ink Master for a seventh season and ordered a spinoff, Ink Master: Redemption.

Season seven will feature 16 one-hour episodes and will debut in spring 2016.

In Redemption, guests from previous Ink Master seasons who left unhappy with their tattoos return to the shop for a chance at new ink. The spinoff series, featuring six half-hour episodes, goes into production this summer and will debut in September.

“With Americans spending more than $1 Billion annually on tattoos, Ink Master has definitely hit a chord with viewers and has continued to grow as one of our most gender-balanced original series,” said Chachi Senior, senior VP, original programming, Spike TV.

Spike has renewed Lip Sync Battle for a second season.

The Viacom-owned cable network will bring the celebrity competition series back for a new round of 20 episodes in 2016. The series, where celebrities lip sync to famous songs, is based on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show skit.

“Lip Sync Battle is a television and viral rock star for Spike,” said Kevin Kay, president of Spike. “We are thrilled to be renewing Lip Sync Battle whose success is a direct result of the brilliance and creativity of our producers, the brave performers, and of course the coolest new duo on television, LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen.”

Read more at Broadcastingcable.com.

Spike’s new competition series Lip Sync Battle set a network ratings record for the most watched unscripted series debut, the network said Friday.

The series, which pits celebrities in a lip syncing competition, drew 2.2 million viewers. The series also delivered the most adults 18-49 viewers in network history for a non-scripted series debut.

 A second episode at 10:30 drew 2 million viewers and a 1.2 rating with Adults 18-49.

“The record ratings are indicative of the incredible talent and creativity of the producers and participants who delivered in so many ways,” said Kevin Kay, President, Spike. “We are incredibly encouraged by the balanced audience of the premiere as we continue our mission to target a broad viewership.”    

New York-- Spike TV, armed with a new logo and new tagline, announced several new scripted series during its upfront presentation here Tuesday afternoon as it looks to expand its;reach to female viewers.

The network, under its new tagline “The Ones To Watch” said it has reached a development deal with actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (pictured) and Dany Garcia’s production company $7 Bucks Productions to create live event, specials, sports and initiatives surrounding troops and veterans, said network president Kevin Kay.

In addition, the network will launch Emergency Broadcast, developed by legendary Pictures and features a group of government first responders who confront crises and disasters. The series will complement previously announced shows including The Crusaders, Deep Web, The Chairman, Red Mars, War At The Shore, and Tut.

Also, the network has teamed with health and wellness expert Jillian Michaels to develop Sweat Inc, a competition series in which 12 aspiring fitness entrepreneurs compete to develop the next big groundbreaking exercise program. Spike also greenlit eight more episodes of its original series Lip Sync Battle.

Kay said the network is broadening its original programming slate to reach more female viewers and create more co-viewing opportunities. Women accunted for 42% of Spike's audience in 2014, up from 34% in 2010.

Spike TV will step into the boxing ring with a new fight series set to debut in March, the network said Friday.

Spike will team with boxing promoter Al Haymon to air monthly fight cards under the Premier Boxing Champions moniker beginning March 13, said network officials. The first event will include a doubleheader fight card featuring the Andre Berto-Josesito Lopez and Shawn Porter-Roberto Garcia bouts.

Spike, which currently offers Bellator mixed martial arts events, will also develop monthly shoulder programming for each fight card, said the network.

The multi-year deal is the second in as many weeks for Haymon, who represents one of the largest stables of professional fighters. The promoter and NBC will distribute several fight cards in 2015 on both the broadcast network and cable's NBC Sports Network. 

“We share the vision of the Premier Boxing Champions series to put the fighters first,” said Kevin Kay, President, Spike TV. “The fighters are the stars, and we will give them a platform to demonstrate why they are among greatest and most exciting athletes in the world.”

Spike TV has partnered with Jimmy Fallon, his Eight Million Plus Productions, John Krasinski, Stephen Merchant and Matador to air the half-hour series, Lip Sync Battle, the network announced today.

Fallon, Krasinski, and Merchant serve as executive producers, but will also perform on the show, which will begin taping in January and premiere in April, 2 2015. 

Beth McCarthy-Miller of SNL will direct the series with additional executive producers Rick Schwartz of Eight Million Plus Productions, Jay Peterson of Matador and EVP Talent Development and Production, Viacom Entertainment Group, Casey Patterson.

Episodes are set to feature celebrity lip sync duels, where each choose their go-to song. To find out more, click here.