MTV Ratings Decline Underscores Viacom’s Struggle

TheStreet: Sharp prime-time ratings declines at Viacom’s MTV and Nickelodeon underscores the ongoing struggles of media companies to adapt to viewers’ preference for mobile devices — and advertisers’ increasing interest in spending more of their marketing dollars on digital. While the emergence of Netflix and Google’s YouTube as integral parts of contemporary entertainment has hurt many traditional media companies that own cable-TV networks, Viacom has been particularly challenged because so many of its channels target younger viewers, according to media industry execs.