Long marketed as the first television network for men, it was known for airing programs like mixed martial arts fights and the reality ride-along show “Cops.”<br />But recently, the network has tried to appeal to a broader audience, including women, with a programming mix featuring shows like the hit “Lip Sync Battle.”<br />“Adopting the Paramount name and fortifying its programming is a natural way for Spike<br />to strengthen its position as a major general entertainment network,” Mr. Bakish said.<br />As part of the turnaround, Mr. Bakish announced that the company would rebrand its Spike TV network in 2018<br />as a general entertainment Paramount Network, featuring high-quality programming, movies and documentaries.<br />As part of the plan, he said that each of the flagship brands would contribute one to two films to the slate for the company’s Paramount film studio.<br />“Internationally, we’ve been very successful in capitalizing on the marquee Paramount brand.”<br />The rebranding of Spike TV comes as Mr. Bakish pushes for more integration between the company’s TV and film group.
