Early next year, Spike's cable and satellite channel will relaunch as the Paramount Network – complete with a new emphasis on premium content and the desire to move away from shows targeted primarily at men.
Viacom, Spike/Paramount's parent company, unveiled this strategic overhaul in February 2017. And the decision to look beyond the masculine-led positioning of Spike, which launched in 2003, feeds into the wider agenda of attracting the broad audiences that regularly tune in to networks like Comcast's USA and Turner's TNT – all while achieving quality levels associated with high-end cable players such as HBO.
That mission is...