Ownership & Conglomeration:
Like most companies in the television industry, VH1 is part of a larger conglomerate with several layers of control. The channel is operated by the MTV Networks group, which also controls interests in digital media, publishing, home video, radio, recorded music, recreation, licensing, and merchandising. As far as its television holdings, MTV Networks controls many popular basic cable channels, including MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Spike, Country Music Television, Logo, and TV Land. All told, MTV Networks consists of over 160 channels worldwide. All of these brands are divided into four categories: MTVN Entertainment Group (targeted at males 18-34), MTVN Kids & Family Group (families and kids 2-17), MTVN Music & Logo Group (men and women 18-34), and MTVN International (a combination of the other three). VH1 falls into the “Music & Logo Group,” and is thus aimed primarily at men and women in the 18-34 (or even 18-49) age bracket.
MTV Networks--and therefore VH1-- owned by Viacom, a major publicly-traded international media conglomerate based in New York City. Viacom focuses mostly on television and film, and in addition to all of the brands that fall under the MTV Networks umbrella, Viacom also controls BET, Paramount Pictures Corporation, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. Within the Viacom Corporation VH1 is designed to be “Where music and pop culture live and breathe” . Partnerships and Initiatives:
VH1 also has specific partnerships designed to increase its profile and popularity. One of the most recent partnerships is the one formed this year (2010) between MTV Networks and Warner Music Group. According to the partnership agreement, “MTV Music Group will now have the exclusive right to sell advertising inventory around WMG premium music video content in the U.S.” This means that, for example, VH1 will get advertising space around Warner Music Group’s videos, and that artists under contract to WMG will be featured on VH1 shows like Behind the Music.
Perhaps one of VH1’s most well-known initiatives is the “Save the Music Foundation.” Created in 1997, the goal of Save the Music is to restore “instrumental music education programs in America’s public schools, and [to raise] awareness about the importance of music as part of a child’s complete education.” The foundation has donated $45 million dollars in musical instruments to elementary and middle schools across the country and utilizes popular musician “Ambassadors” such as Kelly Clarkson, Jason Mraz, and Beyoncé to raise awareness of its cause.
Production, Distribution, & Transmission:
When it comes to production, VH1’s material is sourced from a combination of internal and external agencies, although in the past few years more and more programming has been produced by outside agencies. VH1 Television, VH1’s in-house production and distribution wing, has produced shows like “Famous Crime Scene,” “Confessions of a Teen Idol,” and “New York Goes to Hollywood.” But more famous shows such as “Rock of Love,” “Ray J,” “I Love New York,” “The Surreal Life,” and “Flavor of Love” are all produced by 51 Minds Entertainment, a Los Angeles based production company that has an exclusive agreement with VH1 to create original programming.
VH1 does, however, serve as the distributor for most of its own programming through VH1 Television. Many of the shows produced by outside agencies, for example, are distributed by VH1 itself. Thus “Flavor of Love,” produced by 51 Minds, is distributed by VH1. Occasionally, though, VH1 turns to outside distribution agencies to gain access to other markets: this year when channel called on Passion Distribution, a London based firm, to handle foreign distribution of the show “Dad Camp.”
VH1 is transmitted through many cable and satellite services as part of a basic package. Comcast and Time Warner Cable, two large American cable corporations, both offer VH1 as part of their basic cable lineup. Verizon Fios, a fiber-optic-based transmitter, also provides access to VH1 as part of its “Tier 1 Prime HD” service. DIRECTV, a satellite provider owned by Verizon, offers VH1 in its “Choice” (i.e. most basic) package. VH1 can also be found in DISH Network’s “America’s Top 120” package, the company’s cheapest deal.