Video Interview with VIMN’s Laura Burrell

Laura Burrell, the head of formats at Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), tells TV Formats about the unique position that the company is in to exploit formats globally.

As part of its innovative drive, Viacom has often been first out of the gate in a particular genre, dating back to The Real World and Singled Out and continuing through to Catfish: The TV ShowDrunk History and the recent hit Lip Sync Battle. With its brands such as MTV and Comedy Central, to name a few, Viacom’s content is able to cater to a number of unique audiences—which has played well for the company when exporting format concepts in the international marketplace.

Indeed, the catalog at Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) is chock-full of formats, some of which are adapted for its own bouquet of channels and some are sold to partners in markets around the world. A key to this has been VIMN’s “glocal” policy, which encourages local development across different regions.