Yahoo News Niels Schuurmans Named Marketing Chief for Paramount Network, TV Land, CMT
Viacom veteran Niels Schuurmans has been named chief marketing officer of Paramount Network, TV Land, and CMT. He will report to Kevin Kay, president of the three networks.
Schuurmans will oversee the upcoming rebrand of Viacom-owned Spike TV as Paramount Network, a general-entertainment cable channel. The move is the centerpiece of a new strategy announced last month by CEO Bob Bakish for Viacom, in which the company’s cable channels will be more closely aligned with struggling movie studio Paramount Pictures.
“I am so thrilled to welcome Niels back home to Spike — and to two new destinations for him, TV Land and CMT,” said Kay. “Niels is a marketing visionary with a keen sense of brand building through innovation and creativity. With a successful track-record of creating and developing new brand identities at Viacom, he will play a vital role in the evolution of the Paramount Network, along with working to grow and evolve TV Land and CMT.”
Schuurmans most recently served as chief creative officer and executive vice president, creative and branded content, for Viacom Velocity. A 25-year Viacom employee, he played a vital part in the 2003 launch of Spike as the network’s executive vice president, consumer marketing and executive creative director. He began his career at Nickelodeon.
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