MTV Revamp As Nielsen Goes To College

• Media Life, Wednesday, January 31, 2007 11:30 AM

As Nielsen debuts its measurement of TV viewing by college kids, networks that are popular with the younger crowd are forecasting jumps in tracked viewership. And that includes MTV, where ratings have been on the skids recently.

The net network is shaking up its schedule with the return of "Road Rules" after a three year absence -- part of a bigger overhaul that brought the departure of the company's chief last month after barely a year on the job.

"Rules" will be one of the most interactive shows on MTV, a move that suggest it wants to play with some innovations to improve its ratings. The program will be on Tuesday at 9 p.m., followed by the second-season premiere of "Two-A-Days" and new male-targeted shows "Bam's Unholy Union," a spinoff from "Jackass", and "Wrestling Society X." Each week, "Rules" viewers will vote on which contestant faces an elimination challenge. More to the point, the network's prime-time viewership fell 9% among adults 18-34 last year, according to Nielsen data.

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