MTV Networks’ Online Studio in Development

We already told you about Rob Riggle, Owen Benjamin, and Team Tiger Awesome’s Comedy Central-produced, Atom-distributed, Axe-sponsored web series Dirtcathalon, showcasing attractive college coeds competing in a variety of fratcacular challenges, but that’s just one of two recent online original initiatives from MTV Networks. The other is The Download.

Comedian Jordan Rubin and internet blogger and personality extraordinaire Molly McAleer host the tech-centric program on the set of eHarmony. The two trade banter about irritating aspects of social media or technology, play around with a Samsung TV (the program’s sponsor), and welcome celebrities like Jerry O’Connell to discuss things ephemeral and internet. The best thing about it is it’s actually funny. (That “set of eHarmony” line I stole from the show).

D.M. Levine at Adweek reports the two series are the first of several in the works to come out of a newly organized, dedicated web production arm of MTV Networks’ MTVN Entertainment Group. The entity that oversees Comedy Central, Spike and TV Land never before had an online only production unit. Levine explains in the past “producers on the network’s regular shows lent their efforts to the production of Web-only content.” Now, this new division will handle all online original productions.

Leveine also explains MTVN execs are reluctant to call the production entity a studio, but that’s certainly what it looks like. Expect to see a higher quantity of branded content to drop on Atom, ComedyCentral.com, and Spike.com in the coming months.