MTV TO PREMIERE PIONEERING SCRIPTED SERIES "SKINS" ON MONDAY, JANUARY 17th AT 10PM ET/PT

DEBUT DIRECTLY FOLLOWS A NEW EPISODE OF "JERSEY SHORE" AT A SPECIAL NIGHT AND TIME - MONDAY, JANUARY 17th AT 9PM ET/PT

NEW YORK, NY -- January 10, 2011 - MTV's highly anticipated new scripted series "Skins" will premiere on Monday, January 17th at 10pm ET/PT following an all-new episode of "Jersey Shore" airing at a special night and time.

Created by father and son team Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain, the ground-breaking series "Skins" is about the lives and loves of teenagers and the obligations of friendship. The drama series features an ensemble cast of unknown teenage actors as they navigate complex relationships, the politics of friendship and difficulties of daily life in their formative years. Elsley writes and executive produces the U.S. version, which, like the U.K version, stars and is co-created by young talent.

The premiere episode introduces viewers to a tight-knit band of friends played by James Newman (Tony), Rachel Thevenard (Michelle), Daniel Flaherty (Stanley), Ron Mustafaa (Abbud), Sofia Black-D'Elia (Tea), Camille Cresencia-Mills (Daisy), Jesse Carere (Chris), Britne Oldford (Cadie) and Eleanor Zichy (Eura).

"Skins" will debut right after an all-new episode of "Jersey Shore," airing at a special night and time - Monday, January 17 at 9pm ET/PT. The episode of "Jersey Shore" will feature the moments leading up to Snooki's arrest in Seaside, NJ as the tension between Sammi, Jenni and Snooki takes a new turn. Another all-new episode of "Jersey Shore" will air at its regular night and time on Thursday, January 20 at 10PM ET/PT.

"Skins" will be rated "TV-MA LS" (language, sex) because it includes dialogue, language and sexual situations that may not be appropriate for all audiences. The series will broadcast at 10pm, traditionally a time when younger viewers are not watching.

"Skins" is co-produced by E1 Entertainment and Company Pictures, a division of ALL3MEDIA, the same company that produces the Channel 4 series in the UK. Elsley will Executive Produce, along with Laszlo Barna and Michael Rosenberg from E1 and Charlie Pattinson and George Faber of Company Pictures. The deal was brokered by Greg Lipstone, of ICM, which represents Company Pictures and ALL3Media. Elsley is represented by Ted Miller at CAA.

About MTV

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy�, Grammy� and Peabody� award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information, go to www.mtvpress.com.