The dulcet, church-bell tones of Skrillex and Asher Roth are ringing out across the lawns of fraternity houses across the world today. Let the bros rejoice, as Viacom’s CEO Philippe Dauman announces that Spike TV is going global.
Now that it’s got the market cornered on both badass King Tut miniseries and badass Crusades adventures produced by Pierce Brosnan, Spike TV is ready to extend its summer abroad indefinitely. The plan begins in Britain, where Viacom recently acquired the struggling Channel 5, with Dauman telling reporters, “It is our intention to expand the Spike brand, beginning with the U.K., around the world. It will become one of our major global brands.” Presumably he then paused to slam a Slippery Nipple shot and yell, “And also find some major global babes, amIrite?!?!”
The U.K. expansion appears fairly logical: 10 percent of all Viacom employees worldwide already reside in Britain, and the company has been a presence since the launch of MTV there in 1987. However, it seems they may be putting a few too many of their “brand” eggs in their “Channel 5” basket. Planning on combining Spike TV programming with British reality show productions, Dauman mentioned that the growth outlook for Channel 5 has “a long way to go.” He added, “We really see the opportunity for collaboration between Channel 5 and Nickelodeon.” So, a combination of Spike TV, British reality shows, and Nickelodeon. That sounds like a winning recipe for stoned frat guys at 6 a.m., and a mighty confusing viewing experience for the U.K. children just looking forward to watching Sam & Cat.