Viacom, shaken by a war between its controlling shareholder and its CEO, could also be rocked by the departure of its ad sales chief, according to a report in the New York Post.
Jeff Lucas, head of ad sales for Viacom’s media networks, is joining Snapchat, according to the Post. Viacom earlier this year announced a deal under which it would sell ads for the digital messaging service favored by young people.
A Viacom spokesman had no comment on the report.
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The move would come in the middle of upfront negotiations. Viacom’s ad sales have been down in the last few quarter, but not down as much as its ratings, which has been a sign that Lucas has been doing a good job of promoting the value of the young viewers attracted by Viacom’s networks.
Viacom consolidated its ad sales operations under Lucas last year. He had already been in charge of its music and entertainment networks, including MTV and Comedy Central. He added Nickelodeon to his portfolio.
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Lucas joined Viacom from NBCUniversal Cable in 2006.
