Ascheim Upped at Nickelodeon

Viacom Inc. veteran Tom Ascheim has been named to the newly created position of executive vice president and general manager of Nickelodeon Digital Television.

Previously serving as GM of Noggin/The N, Ascheim will now oversee all four of Nick’s digital networks -- Noggin, The N, Nickelodeon GAS Games and Sports for Kids and Nicktoons -- as well as video-on-demand offerings.

GAS GM Mark Offitzer and Nicktoons GM Keith Dawkins will now report to Ascheim.

"Tom has the heart of a Nickelodeon veteran and the expertise of a successful entrepreneur, which is exactly the combination we need as brand leaders to follow kids into the digital age," Nickelodeon Television president Cyma Zarghami said in a prepared statement.

"The combination of Nick and the digital services allows us to offer broad entertainment on Nick and some very targeted and specialized product on the other services," she added. "The newly united digital group, led by Tom, is a forceful team of talent that makes the future exciting for our brand and our business."

Ascheim had been responsible for running the day-to-day operation of Noggin and The N since 1999. Earlier, he served as Nick’s VP of business development, publishing and multimedia, a post he held from 1997.

A 13-year veteran of Nick and Viacom, he joined Nick as its first business-development executive in 1990.