• by David Goetzl , March 2, 2009

MTV's recent ratings hurdles can be attributed, in part, to the poor performance of reality competition series in repeats, which can drag down total-day ratings, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said Monday.

The executive told investors that the company is trying to alter the programming mix to offer shows that are sturdier when aired multiple times a week. Competition-type shows with "payoffs" or results at an episode's end don't rate as well the next time around--so the development process at the network has a slightly new focus.

"We are aiming to have more diverse genres of original programming," Dauman said.

While MTV's ratings are down in prime time 21% in the 18-to-49 demo this season, in fairness, the network targets more of a 12-to-24 segment. Dauman said MTV is "still an extremely vibrant brand." He cited strong performances by the tent pole "Video Music Awards" and "The Hills" as examples.

But he also said resuscitating ratings is "going to take a while ... but so far we're making progress."

Still, how much money MTV would invest in conceiving shows in repeat-better genres is uncertain. In the past, Dauman had made commitments that cost-cutting would not affect the on-air product. On Monday, in light of the economy, he appeared to temper that, saying: "We continue to invest efficiently in our programming."

He did say Viacom would try to use the economy's weakness to its advantage, saying it may go to producers and ask them to rein in costs. "In this market, people are happy" to do that.

Asked about the coming upfront and whether lower demand might prompt MTV to hold back inventory, he said: "If we have to pull back a little and hold back for scatter we'll do that."

He did say "close relationships" with sponsors that take advantage of integrated-marketing programs should serve as a partial buffer.