• Ad Age, Wednesday, July 19, 2006 12 PM

MTV President Judy McGrath said the company is going after YouTube, looking to either build or acquire a global service that would bring Viacom to the forefront of online video, says Ad Age. "Video is our expertise," McGrath says, alluding to the days when MTV programming was mostly a collection of music videos. YouTube is the undisputed leader in online video, which she says has marked the single biggest shift in the media landscape in the last six months. In the next few weeks, VH1, another MTV property, is set to launch a collection of broadband channels; other multi-platform deals are likely to follow. Affiliate sales associates worry that offering similar programming on the Web might cannibalize their revenues; McGrath offered little to assuage their fears, pointing out that several cable companies want to provide Internet service, which is the future of direct-to-consumer media.

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