With each passing year, consumers are spending less and less time watching TV via traditional cable subscriptions. Hardly a revelation, cord-cutting has been on the rise for quite some time and has become increasingly tenable thanks to streaming services like HBO, Amazon, and of course, Netflix.
In an effort to hitch their wagon to the new streaming-centric environment we now live in, MTV earlier today announced a new venture that will see the iconic cable station release new shows specifically geared for streaming services. The shows will launch under the umbrella of a new production company dubbed MTV Studios.
Seeking to make an immediate impact, some of the first new shows we can expect to see will include reboots of The Real World, Aeon Flux, and Daria. Beyond that, MTV fans can also expect to see new programming, with MTV president Chris McCarthy telling Business Insider that the company’s goal is to become platform-agnostic.
Of course, MTV has been around for decades and has hours upon hours of content that might be alluring for nostalgia-minded viewers. That said, MTV, not surprisingly, has plans to leverage its extensive library of existing content as it seeks to jump head first into the streaming world.
That presents an opportunity for MTV, according to McCarthy. “MTV was one of the first cable brands,” he said, and the overwhelming majority of its shows were produced by MTV itself, to the tune of over 200 original series and franchises. “We own that IP,” he said, and it doesn’t have to be confined to traditional TV.
All that said, MTV’s strategy of kicking things off with a few reboots is a smart and strategic move. Netflix, of course, has enjoyed great success with its reboots of popular TV shows — with Arrested Development and Fuller House being two prime example.
