The N

World
Screen Weekly, July 17, 2008

COUNTRY:
U.S.

LAUNCH
DATE: April 1, 2002,
as a nighttime block on the preschool channel Noggin. It was relaunched as its
own separate channel on December 31, 2007.

OWNERSHIP: MTV Networks, a division of Viacom.

DISTRIBUTION: Available in 64 million households via
cable, digital cable and satellite, as well as mobile, VOD and broadband.

DESCRIPTION: The 24-hour teen-targeted network
features a mix of original series and well-known classics, with everything from
comedy to drama.

SENIOR VP
& GENERAL MANAGER:
Sarah Tomassi Lindman

SENIOR VP
& CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING: Amy Friedman

VP, CURRENT
SERIES: Melinda
Fishman

VP,
DEVELOPMENT: Essie Chambers

VP,
PROGRAMMING: Meeri
Park Cunniff

VP, BRAND
COMMUNICATION: David
Chustz

VP,
COMMUNICATIONS: Jodi
Davis

PROGRAMMING
STRATEGY: After having
launched as a nighttime block on the preschool channel Noggin, The N
established a foothold in the marketplace as the go-to teen destination and
developed its own strong brand. The N’s niche programming provided a great opportunity
to super-serve a targeted teen audience, but it was not hitting the demo at all
its peak hours. The block “didn’t come on until 6 p.m. and we weren’t on
afternoons and weekend days,” explains Sarah Tomassi Lindman, the senior VP and
general manager of The N. “So, a lot of the time that our audience is home, and
during some of their highest media-consumption hours, we were offering
preschool content.”

A decision was
made to separate the channels into two independent, demographic-specific networks,
and after nearly a year and a half of planning, The N now serves its teen
audience 24 hours a day, with a broad mix of original and acquired series.

Its roster of
acquisitions includes well-loved teen hits such as Saved by the Bell, which
joined the lineup in January, and That ’70s Show, which launched June 30. In
terms of pickups, the channel is “less actively in drama acquisitions than it
used to be,” says Lindman, pointing out that “they don’t repeat as well as we
would hope,” and that “the tried-and-true comedies just seem to have nine
lives.” An example of this is The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which is a top
performer on the network. Lindman says that these classic shows are great to “cast
a wide net and bring in a large audience,” but says that the goal is always to “point
people toward our original programming and get them interested in watching the
things that they can’t watch anywhere except The N.”

A shining
example of The N’s successful original programming is Degrassi: The Next
Generation, which is the only show that’s still airing today that was on air
the day the block launched. “That show has really defined our channel and been
at the backbone of our programming for the last six years,” says Lindman. New
episodes began airing on the network on July 11, and production on season eight
is currently under way. Another top-performing original is South of Nowhere,
with its fourth season premiering in October.

The channel’s
companion website highlights strong community features, giving teens an
opportunity to interact with each other. It also offers many ways that users
can interact directly with the network, providing feedback about what they do
and don’t like. Its broadband media player, The Click, features full-length
episodes of the hit original series, along with outtakes, sneak peeks and
webisodes of The N series created exclusively for broadband. The network also
recently relaunched Quizilla, a sister website to The-N.com, all about
user-generated content.

The N is “actively
involved” in the mobile space as well. This summer, the channel plans to launch
a WAP site, and has already done several mobile-specific applications for a
host of its properties, with a mobile-video distribution deal in place with
Sprint and Verizon. Lindman explains that the “website and mobile applications
are really about putting tools into our audience’s hands that allow them to
both interact with the content that we are putting out there for them, and
create content for themselves. They are an important extension of our brand.”

WHAT’S NEW: This summer marks The N’s return to
reality programming, with two new originals slated to launch. “We’re taking a
very specific spin on it,” says Lindman. “We’re calling it ‘reality with
morality.’ This is not voyeuristic reality, this is not reality about showing
what’s worst in people—this is reality that’s about bringing out the best
in our contestants.” Queen Bees follows unsuspecting “mean girls” who have been
nominated by their friends/family to receive an attitude makeover, helping them
reform and giving them the tools to become nicer people. Another reality
program launching is The N’s Student Body, from the producers of The Biggest
Loser. The weight-loss and lifestyle-transformation show centers on rival high
schools competing for money and prizes, with teams of students putting forth
energy and passion to get in shape and change their lives in a healthy,
positive way. The channel has plans for some online applications around both
series.

WEBSITE: www.the-n.com

—By
Kristin Brzoznowski