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Image: "Skins"
MTV
Danny Flaherty and  Britne Oldford star on MTV's "Skins," a racy teen drama that advertisers are fleeing after the Parents Television Council urged a federal investigation into possible violations of child porn laws.
By
Hollywood Reporter
updated 1/25/2011 4:42:19 PM ET 2011-01-25T21:42:19
Analysis

There’s no such thing as bad press — unless that bad press is of the “possibly running afoul of federal child pornography statutes” type, because that’s what sends advertisers running for cover.

"Skins," MTV’s racy adaptation of the British series about the secret lives of teenagers, bowed Jan. 17 to a healthy tune-in of 3.3 million viewers, with 2.7 million of them in the core demo of 12- to 34-year-olds, the most to date for a show launch on MTV. Now the network is in the awkward position of having a hot show with fewer and fewer advertisers willing to pay for it.

Story: 'Skins' creator defends his show
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Of course, MTV is no stranger to controversy. Traditionally conservative Dominos’ pizza backed off "Jersey Shore" in 2009 after groups including the National Italian American Foundation registered disapproval over the cast’s use of the ethnic slur “Guido.”

More from THR: Who advertised during the second episode

But the sponsor defection from "Skins" is more serious. Nearly half-a-dozen have bailed — reliably progressive Taco Bell was first, followed by Wrigley gum, General Motors, Subway and Schick. And H&R Block, not exactly a teen-targeting brand, was compelled to issue a statement explaining that one of its ads ran in "Skins" “by mistake.” The second episode was heavy on network promos, movie studio commercials and in a telltale sign of advertiser defection, multiple direct-response ads for a stretch-mark removal cream.

It’s not just the volume of advertisers that have come out against "Skins," which an industry source estimates could cost MTV $2 million in lost revenue an episode. It’s that the show was supposed to be MTV’s re-entry into scripted fare under new programming chief David Jonollari, and the higher CPM (cost per thousand viewers) rates it can bring. (This year, MTV plans to bow its second new scripted series: a 21st century "Teen Wolf.")

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Story: 'Skins' viewership plunges for its second airing

“There are few advertisers that are willing to put their neck on the line for any show,” one advertising insider says. “There is no lack of youth to reach in the marketplace. Why court backlash when you can find this audience somewhere else?”

MTV’s need to wean itself off of reality alone is evident in "Shore." Although the train-wreck docusoup might rake in boffo ratings, the content scares many image-conscious advertisers. One network insider confirmed that the "Shore" ad revenue has never kept up to the ratings.

Story: 'Skins' exec doesn't understand all the fuss

Lately, the network has become the repository for the consequences of youth transgression with unscripted staples "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom." While MTV can sell these shows by polishing the “scared straight” pitch, "Skins" offers no such pretense.

“It is one thing to be documenting reality, it is an entirely different matter when you are manufacturing a representation of the youth lifestyle,” an insider says. “Drug use or sexual activity as ‘news’ is very different than those same subjects as 'entertainment.'"

More from THR: Sixth advertiser to pull out

MTV declined comment and instead pointed to a previous statement expressing “confidence” that Skins “will continue to connect with the audience it was created for and that advertisers will take advantage of the opportunity to reach them.”

At least one observer speculates that the network, which has toned down some of "Skins' " racier elements, might eventually move the show from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. in hopes of muting criticism. If the network can put out this particular fire, it might be possible to turn bad press into good ratings — and eventually dollars.

Copyright 2012 The Hollywood Reporter

Video: Is ‘Skins’ exaggerating teen life?

  1. Transcript of: Is ‘Skins’ exaggerating teen life?

    KATHIE LEE GIFFORD, co-host: And nobody expected this outside today.

    HODA KOTB, co-host: Snow already.

    GIFFORD: It was supposed to come tomorrow, but it's been that kind of winter.

    KOTB: It's early. You know what? I'm sick of it. It's enough already.

    GIFFORD: No, because...

    KOTB: Are you sick of it?

    GIFFORD: I'm sick of it and I've been away for half of it. So I can't imagine -- I sort of missed all the big blizzard stuff by being someplace else, but...

    KOTB: It's unbelievable.

    GIFFORD: Another siren going on.

    KOTB: I know, just welcome to New York City .

    GIFFORD: And I looked on the map today, and it's 79 down in Miami , and it's 76 in LA , so...

    KOTB:

    GIFFORD: We're happy for you.

    KOTB: Yes. All right, so it was a big day today in Hollywood .

    GIFFORD: Yes!

    KOTB: The Oscar nominations are out, and we are here to bring you the latest information.

    GIFFORD: Yes. If you haven 't heard it before, we're going to go over it again.

    KOTB: Yeah. Yes. OK, Best Picture , these are the nods for Best Picture .

    GIFFORD: There was...

    KOTB: And there are 10 of them.

    GIFFORD: Second year in a row, yeah.

    KOTB: So it's more like who didn't get in, but " Black Swan "...

    GIFFORD: Right.

    KOTB: ..." The Fighter ," "Inception," " The Kids Are All Right ," " The King 's_Speech," "127 Hours," "The Social Network ," "Toy Story 3," " True Grit " and "Winter's Bone."

    GIFFORD: Now, " Toy Story 3 " was the biggest at the box office all year long.

    KOTB: And it's nominated in best movie and Best Animated ...

    GIFFORD: And Best Animation. It'll definitely win Best Animated .

    KOTB: OK, so if you're interested in Best Actor nods, here they are for you. Why don't you do...

    GIFFORD: Javier Bardem for " Biutiful ," Jeff Bridges for " True Grit " -- and I 'm hoping to be able to speak to Jeff in just a few minutes.

    GIFFORD: Mm-hmm.

    GIFFORD: Jesse Eisenberg's "The Social Network ," Colin Firth, " The King 's_Speech," and James Franco , "127 Hours."

    KOTB: Yeah. Those are good. All right, Best Actress , here are the nods for that. Annette Bening, " The Kids Are All Right ."

    GIFFORD: Mm-hmm.

    KOTB: Nicole Kidman, " Rabbit Hole "; Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone," which I haven 't seen.

    GIFFORD: No, I haven 't, either. Natalie Portman, " Black Swan "; and Michelle Williams , " Blue Valentine ."

    GIFFORD: OK. And supporting actress , Amy Adams , " The Fighter "; Helena Bonham Carter , " The King 's_Speech," which I saw over the weekend, and finally -- and loved.

    KOTB: So good. So good. So good.

    GIFFORD: Melisso Leo, " The Fighter ," everybody's saying she's the odds-on favorite. Hailee Steinfeld , whom we love, she's going to be speaking to us in just a few moments, too, the young girl who did -- almost steals the picture away from the amazing Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon .

    KOTB: She -- yeah!

    GIFFORD: And Jacki Weaver from " Animal Kingdom ." Now, I have to admit, I've never heard of her or the movie.

    KOTB: No. I haven 't.

    GIFFORD: Have you?

    KOTB: No, I have not. Should we talk to Hailee ? She's right here.

    GIFFORD: Yes! Hailee !

    KOTB: Hailee , you're on the phone?

    Ms. HAILEE STEINFELD (Oscar Nominee, Best Supporting Actress): Hi!

    GIFFORD: Congratulations, darling.

    Ms. STEINFELD: Thank you so much .

    KOTB: How did you hear the news, Hailee , and how did you react when you heard ?

    Ms. STEINFELD: I was -- I was asleep, and I heard my mom and dad screaming in the other room. So I woke up, and I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not. So they came running in my room with flowers and everything.

    GIFFORD: Aw.

    Ms. STEINFELD: So it was very exciting.

    GIFFORD: Aw. Sweet.

    KOTB: By the way, your film, " True Grit ," is -- has the second most nominations, 10 nominations, including not just you, Hailee , but Jeff Bridges .

    GIFFORD: Best Original -- Adapted Screenplay , is that? I think the Coen brothers .

    KOTB: Yeah, I think so.

    GIFFORD: And did they get directing nods as well?

    KOTB: I think they got directing but...

    GIFFORD: And they got Best Picture .

    KOTB: Yeah, 10 in total. And what did you think when you heard about all the accolades for your film?

    Ms. STEINFELD: It's incredible. I'm in shock. I mean -- I mean, more so about -- I mean, the film overall, it's just incredible. Just to be a part of this all is really amazing. But I'm just so proud of, you know, of it all, and, you know, the fact that I'm being able to experience this right now is really incredible.

    KOTB: And, Hailee , you're just -- you're 14, right? Fourteen years old?

    Ms. STEINFELD: Yeah.

    KOTB: Boy, that's a lot...

    GIFFORD: You're incredibly poised for your age.

    Ms. STEINFELD: Thank you.

    GIFFORD: You're -- I was sorry to miss you because I wasn't here that day, Jimmy Fallon was in for me, But I watched you from down in Florida , and I just thought -- first of all, you're completely opposite from your character that you play, which shows that you are a terrific actress.

    KOTB: Mm-hmm.

    GIFFORD: Second of all, I just thought , gee, I wish I were there to meet her. She seems like such a beautiful young woman .

    KOTB: And...

    GIFFORD: Your parents have done a great job with you.

    KOTB: And by the way, Hailee , when you presented with Justin Bieber , you were cool as a cucumber, at the Golden Globes .

    GIFFORD: Yeah.

    KOTB: You were such a pro. Was that fun?

    Ms. STEINFELD: I died. I died.

    GIFFORD: Were you dying inside?

    Ms. STEINFELD: Yeah, it was a lot of fun. He was really, really sweet.

    KOTB: Well, we wish you such good luck, Hailee .

    GIFFORD: We sure do. You are adorable.

    KOTB: Congratulations.

    Ms. STEINFELD: Thank you.

    GIFFORD: This is the first of many, many in her career, I believe.

    KOTB: Yeah, she's something.

    GIFFORD: ...because this girl's got the real goods. Bless your heart, sweetie. All the best to you.

    Ms. STEINFELD: Thank you so much .

    KOTB: All right. And also, we have to get to Best Supporting Actor , and the winners there.

    GIFFORD: Christian Bale , right?

    KOTB: Right, Christian Bale . John Hawkes from "Winter's Bone."

    GIFFORD: See, I have -- we have to see this movie .

    KOTB: Right, we have to.

    GIFFORD: Uh-huh .

    KOTB: Jeremy Renner from " The Town ."

    GIFFORD: We love him.

    KOTB: Mark Ruffalo , who's so cute, from " The Kids Are All Right ," and Geoffrey Rush , who I think is a home run. They all -- they're all saying Christian Bale .

    GIFFORD: Well, so Christian Bale won the Golden Globe . And, see, I haven 't seen " The Fighter " yet. But you think about Melissa Leo being nominated for that, June -- Amy Adams also.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: Christian Bale . I mean, it's a powerhouse.

    KOTB: It is. I think Geoffrey Rush is going to win Supporting Actor . He's so good in " The King 's_Speech."

    GIFFORD: But you haven 't seen " The Fighter " yet.

    KOTB: Exactly. I want -- I'm liking Geoffrey Rush .

    GIFFORD: Geoffrey Rush is great in everything he does. This is a situation where you know that each man had such a huge impact on the other man's performance.

    KOTB: Yes.

    GIFFORD: My daddy used to always say to me when I was growing up, he said, 'Honey, always surround yourself with people smarter and more talented than you, and you'll look really good.' And therefore Regis and therefore Hoda .

    KOTB: How's that going?

    GIFFORD: Look at me, baby!

    KOTB: Yes.

    GIFFORD: I surround myself with people so much more talented and so much smarter, and look what happens.

    KOTB: Did you -- do you love " The King 's_Speech"? Is that your favorite movie, or...

    GIFFORD: I haven 't seen a lot of them this year.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: I've just been crazed writing the theater stuff.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: So I haven 't seen "Winter's Bone," I haven 't seen -- I don't think I can get through "127 Hours." Don't think I can do it.

    KOTB: No.

    GIFFORD: But I hear James Franco is amazing, and I think -- I hear Danny Boyle did an unbelievable job.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: Haven 't seen " Black Swan " yet. Cody , the film...

    KOTB: Yes.

    GIFFORD: ...you know, the film critic , says basically, 'Mom, it's a perfect movie, and you're going to hate it.'

    KOTB: Yeah. Because it's got lots of sex scenes in it.

    GIFFORD: Lots of girl-on-girl sex. And I said, I'm an adult.

    KOTB: Yes.

    GIFFORD: He goes, 'You're going to hate it.' So...

    KOTB: Hate it. All right, by the way, if you happen to be in New York tomorrow and you're looking for a Broadway show to see and you want to hear a little singing...

    GIFFORD: Oh, stop it.

    KOTB: ... Kathie Lee 's going to be singing tomorrow on Broadway at -- what's it called, Million Dollar ...

    GIFFORD: " Million Dollar Quartet ." I wasn't going to announce it, Hoda , thank you very much .

    KOTB: Oh, anyway.

    GIFFORD: I mean, people will just be trampling the box office to get in.

    KOTB: You know how they get.

    GIFFORD: Oh, come on, Hoda . You know what? I think that Melissa Etheridge sang last week.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: And of course I haven 't been sick, thank the Lord, one day all year long.

    KOTB: Yeah. Yeah.

    GIFFORD: You know I haven 't been.

    KOTB: No.

    GIFFORD: I go out to LA where it's 76 years old, and Monday morning...

    KOTB: Seventy-six degrees.

    GIFFORD: ...and Monday -- and Saturday morning I start getting the -- I get the doo-dah. So anyway, I'm still going to do it.

    KOTB: Who cares? Just sing. Who cares?

    GIFFORD: I'm going to sing an old Patsy Cline song called You got to stop, look and listen, hey, you don't know what you're missing. Because it's fast and it's in my key. So anyway, we'll be there tomorrow.

    KOTB: OK, that'll be good. I'll be there, too, in the audience.

    GIFFORD: It's not exactly on Hoda 's playlist, but after I sing it, she's going to love it.

    KOTB: Might be.

    GIFFORD: Love it, love it.

    KOTB: All right, so it was a big day for Oprah Winfrey . She talked about a secret, and the secret was revealed on her show yesterday, and the secret was that she has a half- sister . The half- sister 's known about her connection to Oprah for several years.

    GIFFORD: Right.

    KOTB: Oprah only found out around Thanksgiving time...

    GIFFORD: Yes, and went to see her and had her first...

    KOTB: ...and went to see her. So this is -- we should -- we should watch -- let's watch the clip about -- of Oprah revealing.

    GIFFORD: Mm-hmm.

    Ms. OPRAH WINFREY: My sister Patricia is here. Come on out, Patricia . Since I have been a person known in the public, there have been few times that I've been anywhere and not been sold out. There have been few times where you can bring anybody new into your life and not have that person in some way betray you or use you or take advantage of you.

    PATRICIA: Just trying to take it all in right now.

    Ms. WINFREY: Mm-hmm.

    PATRICIA: Because I've never heard that I was a pretty baby .

    Ms. WINFREY: Mm-hmm.

    PATRICIA: So I didn't know. So to hear that. I always had a feeling that she didn't mean to give me up.

    Ms. WINFREY: Hm.

    PATRICIA: And her saying that she came back to get me, it means a lot.

    KOTB: Oprah 's mom and her mom were -- she was interviewed right there, and she said that -- what teed up that bite was she said, you know, 'The nurse asked why am I giving up my child, she's such a pretty baby .'

    GIFFORD: Such a pretty baby .

    KOTB: And then Oprah 's mom said she went back again looking for her and she was...

    GIFFORD: Rethought it.

    KOTB: ...obviously already gone.

    GIFFORD: Mm, what a...

    KOTB: But I love -- I love this Patricia . I don't know her, and I love her .

    GIFFORD: She's adorable.

    KOTB: Because...

    GIFFORD: She's not just a pretty baby , she's a beautiful, beautiful woman.

    KOTB: Yeah. Yeah, she really, really is.

    GIFFORD: Inside and out , you can sense her beautiful spirit, don't you?

    KOTB: Yeah, and I mean -- and you do have to think that a lot of people who realized that there's any connection to Oprah probably would've thought , 'I'm getting on the gravy train.'

    GIFFORD: Right.

    KOTB: And she really, really -- I mean, she's known since I think '07...

    GIFFORD: Can you imagine how many people -- Oprah 's right in the fact that everybody wants a piece of her. Can you imagine the false claims that've been made against her?

    KOTB: Sure.

    GIFFORD: 'I'm your long-lost this.' Even the third or fourth cousins that need rehab to be paid for, they're coming out of the woodwork .

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: And so you've got to be so careful as to, you know...

    KOTB: She wrote...

    GIFFORD: ...legitimize people, and I guess it was DNA that ultimately confirmed it.

    KOTB: That's it. Absolutely. And she's -- apparently she wrote the show, but Oprah said, you know, I mean, a lot of people write the show and say...

    GIFFORD: Yes. Yes.

    KOTB: ...wacky things. I mean, she must have thought there's another kook.

    GIFFORD: Exactly.

    KOTB: But it turned out it really was her sister .

    GIFFORD: Well, we're happy for them. We hope they can make up for a lot of lost time , and it's just so sad that her deceased brother and sister , Oprah 's...

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: ...one died of drugs and the other died from AIDS , her brother.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: And so this is her only living sibling, and...

    KOTB: Yeah. And I loved how the sister was calling Oprah saying, 'I know this is a lot to process. Are you OK?'

    GIFFORD: Yeah.

    KOTB: Like checking on Oprah , and Oprah was...

    GIFFORD: Yeah.

    KOTB: I thought -- I thought that was an interesting dynamic, more of the nurturer, it sounds like the sister is, right?

    GIFFORD: Yeah. Yeah. So I guess we haven 't really heard about the person who raised her, right?

    KOTB: No. No. It sounds like she went from...

    GIFFORD: Somebody did something right. She had some abuse problems, right?

    KOTB: She went to some -- she went to a bunch of foster homes. I mean, I don't know what her whole life was like.

    GIFFORD: Oh, so maybe she wasn't adopted.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: Maybe she went through the whole foster care program.

    KOTB: Yeah. I'm not sure where she ultimately went...

    GIFFORD: Got pregnant herself at 17.

    KOTB: Yeah, she did, she did.

    GIFFORD: Yeah.

    KOTB: All right.

    GIFFORD: Wow.

    KOTB: So there's a lot of controversy that's swirling around this show called " Skins ." We talked about it.

    GIFFORD: We talked about it yesterday, but it's continuing, so...

    KOTB: Well, the sponsors are dropping out -- they're dropping like flies. Now six have backed out, Subway , Wrigley , H&R Block , GM , Taco Bell and Schick .

    GIFFORD: Good for them.

    KOTB: And this is a bunch of actors, if you don't know about the story, they're between 15 and 19 years old, some underage, and engaging in, you know, sex scenes , I guess, and drinking and drug scenes and stuff. And people are upset because, number one, the actors are underage, most of them, and...

    GIFFORD: Which is against the law.

    KOTB: Which is against the law.

    GIFFORD: Mm-hmm.

    KOTB: I mean, and they're saying...

    GIFFORD: Yeah, I thought originally that they must -- that they were kids that were being, you know, filmed and they're -- videotaped.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: It's -- they're actors, so they've been hired for this.

    KOTB: Yeah, they've been hired.

    GIFFORD: I don't think...

    KOTB: What do you...

    GIFFORD: I don't know how they're getting away with it , frankly.

    KOTB: Right.

    GIFFORD: Yeah. Well, maybe they won't now.

    KOTB: Well, they say that this is -- they're just depicting -- I think one of their defense is, they're just depicting what's going on in the real world .

    GIFFORD: That's what I took umbrage with yesterday. I mean, they're not depicting what everybody is doing out there.

    KOTB: Mm-hmm.

    GIFFORD: And they're not showing any -- apparently -- I haven 't seen, I've just, you know...

    KOTB: Seen the clips.

    GIFFORD: I have to admit, I've not seen, but just what I've read about it, it's -- as a mother of a 17-year-old, really, really disturbs me. Not only disturbs me, offends me.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: A lot of us have not raised kids that act that way.

    KOTB: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

    GIFFORD: Yet. And pray to God ever.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: But, you know, I -- if you're going to do that, show a kid that's not.

    KOTB: Right.

    GIFFORD: And then don't put that kid down for it, represent them fairly, as well.

    KOTB: Right.

    GIFFORD: It's all about choices. I say to my kids every single day because it's true of me and it's true of Frank , as well. You are one action away from disaster.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: Every day of your life.

    KOTB: Right.

    GIFFORD: One choice away from disaster.

    KOTB: Right. One bad choice.

    GIFFORD: Think about that. And no kids -- kids don't think -- if adults don't, kids don't...

    KOTB: Mm-hmm.

    GIFFORD: ...think about the repercussions of every choice they make.

    KOTB: Mm-hmm.

    GIFFORD: I mean, look what -- we're talking about Oprah 's situation.

    KOTB: Mm-hmm.

    GIFFORD: Look at the choices different people made along the way and the -- and the -- and the roadkill...

    KOTB: Mm-hmm.

    GIFFORD: ...that was left on the -- on the highway behind them for the choices that they make.

    KOTB: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

    GIFFORD: You know? And I 've made bad choices, and I guess that's why I'm just so emotional about this. I mean, I feel sorry for kids today.

    KOTB: Yeah.

    GIFFORD: Because kind -- because we're going to do a thing later on in the day in our show about how social networking is affecting the sexuality of our kids today and how more and more divorces is blamed on...

    KOTB:

    GIFFORD: Poor Facebook . Facebook is now being, you know, blamed for everything.

    KOTB: But I do think that they're saying because young people and -- can text back and forth, they're more open than they would be face to face.

    GIFFORD: Yes. But they're missing out on old-fashioned romance, too.

    KOTB: Right.

    GIFFORD: And I can't even imagine how sad that is.

    KOTB: Well, and...

    GIFFORD: We got to go, Hoda . I know you could sit here and talk all day long.

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