Spike re-brands, announces new shows

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Spike Unveils Rebrand, New Programming
By Anne Becker

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Spike TV is rebranding to focus on action, ditching its cursive logo
for an angular one with the slogan “Get More Action.” The new look
will begin appearing in May on the male-targeting network.

Spike presented its rebrand and upcoming programming to ad buyers at a
breakfast Wednesday in New York that was heavy on both machismo and
superlatives. Spike TV head of ad sales David Lawenda touted MTVN
Networks’ “largest commitment ever to a scripted drama,” and Spike TV
President Doug Herzog promised the network would “spend more money
than ever” on a marketing campaign.

“We’re going to cut through the clutter, we’re going to make noise,
we’re going to get noticed,” Herzog said, stipulating the rebrand was
aimed at making Spike “more Spike-like.”

Spike Creative Director Niels Schuurmans elaborated on the thinking
behind the rebrand, going through a “Spike manifesto” that promised,
among other things, the network will be “unapologetically male” and
will “speak to men the way men speak to men.”

Having seen ratings success of late with reality show Pros Vs. Joes,
the network’s total audience was still down 16 percent from last year
in February, averaging 1.28 million total viewers in prime.

Going forward programming-wise, the network has renewed its contract
with the Ultimate Fighting Championship to allow for four new seasons
of the reality series The Ultimate Fighter, 10 live fight cards and 26
hour-long episodes of UFC Unleashed, which features old fights.

The network plans two 13-episode, hour-long scripted dramas for 2007,
as well as a miniseries and several more unscripted series.

“We’re committed to the idea that, if it’s not a big idea or a high
concept, we won’t do it,” said General Manager Kevin Kay.

Dramas include comic-based Blade, debuting June 28, and Amped, about
genetically mutated humans. Reality series include Bull Run, which
follows auto rallies, and Raising the Roofs, which follows the redneck
family of a Southerner-turned-Hollywood actor. New specials include
the Spike Guy’s Choice Awards and Scream 2006, an awards show focusing
on horror programming, and Metal of Honor, a documentary on the
ironworkers who worked during the 9/11 cleanup.

Spike also plans a late-night block for fourth quarter to target a 21-
to 35-year-old audience. The block’s lineup is slated to include the
videogame-themed animated Samuel L. Jackson series, Afro Samurai, and
two shows in development: variety show Boys’ Night Out and a series in
which hosts reenact dangerous scenes from online viral videos.

The network also touted an upcoming pro-social initiative called “True
Dads,” aimed at promoting active fatherhood, as well as its presence
on emerging digital platforms, which executives are calling “Spike 2.”

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