Indiantelevision.com's Digital Edge: Erik Flannigan is MTV executive VP, digital media

Indiantelevision.com's Digital Edge

Erik Flannigan is MTV executive VP, digital media

Indiantelevision.com Team

(25 June 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: US broadcaster MTV has promoted Erik Flannigan to executive VP, digital media.

He was formerly senior vice president, digital media, Comedy Central and Spike TV, a position he assumed last year.

MTV's entertainment group comprises a multi-platform portfolio of brands featuring the Comedy Central, Spike TV and TV Land cable channels as well as internet sites AtomFilms, AtomUploads, GameTrailers.com and Xfire. Flannigan supervises the linear channels' digital media teams, overseeing the networks' digital programming initiatives, to maximize revenue growth opportunities for the group. He will now oversee all of the Entertainment Group's digital businesses as well.

In addition to the television network properties, Flannigan adds oversight of the popular video gaming site GameTrailers.com and PC-gaming application Xfire, as well as soon-to-be-integrated iFilm and SpikeTV.com which will be merged later this year as Spike.com to create an online destination for men 18-34. Flannigan will also continue to supervise Atom Films and its UGC sister site AtomUploads (formerly Addicting Clips), Viacom's video-streaming sites, as well as representing all the channels' interests within MTV.

MTV president entertainment group Doug Herzog says, "Erik, in his short tenure here at MTVN's Entertainment Group, has already had a major impact on our business. His new
responsibilities reflect my confidence that his sophisticated understanding of digital media trends and his vision of how all of our brands can best capitalise on the evolving opportunities means we have exactly the right man in this crucial role."