Viacom's MTV Networks has named Mika Salmi, formerly CEO and founder of Atom Entertainment, as president of global digital media, where he will oversee all of the network's brands online.
Salmi said his role in the newly created position is to ensure that all brands--including MTV, Comedy Central, VH1 and Nickelodeon--expand online. "My leadership will basically involve
making sure that we're making a coordinated effort and providing a direction for all the brands," he said.
MTV Networks has recently undergone other executive shake-ups. Former Chief Digital
Officer Jason Hirschhorn departed this summer. In July, MTV Networks tapped Courtney Holt to head digital efforts in music, including at MTV, VH1 and the CMT channels. In addition, MTV Networks last
week tapped Erik Flannigan, vice president of programming at AOL, to help lead digital
efforts at TV properties including Comedy Central and Spike TV.
MTV Networks acquired
Salmi's previous firm, Atom Entertainment, in August, adding the company's four major entertainment units: gaming sites Shockwave.com and AddictingGames.com, and short-form video sites AtomFilms.com
and AddictingClips.com.
The company faces stiff competition in the online space from social networking sites that have become increasingly popular among young adults and teens. Salmi said that
part of the challenge of his new post is developing a strategy to move MTV Network's offline popularity and community among young people online. "MTV Networks has been known as a youth community for a
long time," he said. "The question then is--how do we keep moving it forward into a digital realm?"
Viacom's former CEO Tom Freston was ousted in September, in a move that some observers have said stemmed from the company's floundering
online presence. Shortly after Freston left the company, chairman Sumner Redstone publicly complained that Freston had allowed News Corp. to outbid Viacom for social networking site MySpace, which
News Corp. purchased for $580 million.