Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman reiterated Monday how the company's commitment to research has helped resuscitate networks such as MTV. One emphasis has been a refocus on brand meaning among a current generation of younger consumers.
"We've increased our investment in research -- market research on our viewers, brand research," he told investors Monday. In turn, sturdy insight has hopefully led to smarter content investments -- "focusing the programming around what the research tells us," he said.
In February, Viacom's MTV Networks created a research position for the C-suite, naming Colleen Fahey Rush as chief research officer.
Dauman cited current research efforts to help give VH1 a lift, where there is a move afoot to target a "late-20s" demo -- "adult-sters not the youngsters" -- but with content that has an "edgy sensibility" at the same time.
Dauman also cited a recent emphasis on new programming genres, such as comedy at TV Land, CMT and BET.
Viacom is also looking to de-emphasize program acquisitions, such as UFC on Spike, and own more of its content to benefit from the syndicated market. Original series can also help build a brand versus piggybacking off others.
Separately, Viacom has employed multiple strategies with making Comedy Central late-night series "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" available online. A deal with Hulu has the previous night's episode of each back on the site for free, partly because the shows have a short shelf-life and it can double as a promotional tool.
"We have found that showing last night's show is good marketing for tonight's show," he said.
Dauman said digital deals such as the Hulu arrangement are short-term, since the online video universe remains unpredictable. Viacom's deal with Hulu is set to expire next year.
Nice to see someone say they believe in the value of research... and then actually demonstrate that they do!