MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom has announced that Doug Herzog will be the new president of its male oriented network Spike TV.

He also serves as Comedy Central president. Comedy Central and Spike TV will form a new unit, within MTV Networks, under Herzog.

He takes over Spike TV's reins from Albie Hecht who put in his papers last week. MTV Networks group president Herb Scannell said, "Doug is a great leader with an incredible track record in developing original hit programming. Spike TV has had a great success to date, branding the network strongly and connecting with viewers and advertisers, which has resulted in ratings and ad sales gains. I know that Doug will take Spike to the next level, by creating strong series for a broader male demo and by furthering the networks' connection with viewers and business partners."

MTV Networks chairman Judy McGrath said, "I couldn't be more thrilled to have Doug's influence and creative energy on Spike TV -- and to create a new unit, under him, along with Comedy Central. Culturally and from a business perspective, there are tremendous opportunities and advantages in bringing these two networks together that share a highly desirable demographic but speak to it independently."

Herzog said, "I am truly looking forward to working on Spike TV. In an extremely short time, they have built a strong brand that is relevant to its core audience and well-known in a cluttered marketplace. Personally, I am looking forward to finding out what men really want and figuring out how to put some legal version of that on television."

Spike TV launched on 11 August, 2003 claims to be currently ranked as the third highest rated basic cable network among Males 18-49 (year-to-date) in primetime, according to Nielsen.