MTV RENEWS "CATFISH: THE TV SHOW" FOR A SECOND SEASON AS BREAKOUT HIT RANKS AS MONDAY'S #1 CABLE SERIES AMONG P12-34 FOR SIXTH CONSECUTIVE WEEK AND #1 MOST SOCIAL SHOW ACROSS CABLE

Start the New Year with an All-New Episode Airing Monday, January 7 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK, NY (December 19, 2012) - MTV announced today the pick-up of a second season of its hit series "Catfish: The TV Show". Following the success of Rogue Pictures and Relativity Media's critically acclaimed 2010 documentary-thriller "Catfish," the MTV series "Catfish: The TV Show" tackles the mystery and complexities of dating in a digital world.

"'Catfish: The TV Show' has truly captured the zeitgeist of the digital dating age," said Dave Sirulnick, Executive Vice President, MTV Multiplatform. "The show has resonated with our audience by portraying the real life journeys of individuals trying to navigate the highs and lows of online dating - an experience our viewers can relate to. We are thrilled to bring the show back for a second season, and look forward to the fascinating stories that only Nev and Max can uncover."

Debuting on November 12, "Catfish: The TV Show" became MTV's highest rated series premiere at 11:00 p.m. in network history and averaging a 2.3 P12-34 rating through six episodes, it is the highest rated start to an MTV series since 2007. Monday night's episode marked the show's sixth consecutive week as Monday's #1 cable series among P12-34. Additionally, MTV aired three of the top five original cable series for 2012, including "Catfish: The TV Show," ranking fourth across all of cable television.

"Catfish: The TV Show" continues to dominate the social scene, consistently ranking as one of the top five socially engaged series across broadcast and cable since its premiere, according to Social Guide. The show also ranked as the #1 most social show across cable and #2 overall, including broadcast, for Monday night according to Trendrr.

Furthermore, viewership among the P12-34 demographic has steadily increased when accounting for DVR and other playback options. "Catfish: The TV Show" garnered a 29-percent increase in the series' average P12-34 rating to date (3.1 vs. 2.4) when comparing Live+3 to Live + same day. Additionally, the show is MTV's top performing Video on Demand offering, averaging more 300,000 VOD transactions per week.

The hour-long series follows Nev Schulman, whose own online love drama was the subject of the "Catfish" film, and filmmaker Max Joseph as they take viewers on a deeply personal journey that goes inside the stories of young people as their online-only romantic relationships collide with first-time, real-life encounters.

On the next all-new episode, airing on Monday, January 7 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT, Joe was skeptical when former Miss Teen USA, Kari Ann Peniche, sent him a friend request. Now, after months of intense communication, Joe thinks it might be the real Kari Ann, and that he also might have found love with her. Has Joe really discovered his dream girl, or is Kari Ann someone else entirely? For a sneak peak of the episode, click here.

Viewers can go to MTV.com for sneak peeks of the show including bonus and extended scenes, plus exclusive interviews. For even more information and exclusive content, fans can "like" the "Catfish: The TV Show" Facebook page at https://facebook.com/MTVcatfish.

Season one of "Catfish: The TV Show" will air internationally on MTV channels around the world starting in January 2013.

Source: Nielsen. Live+SD unless noted. VOD, Rentrak, transactions within 7 days. Live+3 data through 12/10/12. Ranked on 000s. Series ranks include full day, ad-supported, and pay cable networks only.

"Catfish: The TV Show" is produced by RelativityREAL and Catfish Picture Company LLC for MTV with RelativityREAL's Tom Forman, Brad Bishop, Julie Link Steffens serving as executive producers alongside David Metzler, Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost, Nev Schulman, Andrew Jarecki and Mark Smerling. Marshall Eisen, Nomi Ernst Leidner, and Dave Sirulnick are Executive Producers for MTV. RelativityREAL's Jonathan Karshis is Co-Executive producer. Kelly Ostreicher is Supervising Producer, MTV. Jonathan Mussman is Executive in Charge, MTV.

About RelativityREAL:

Under the leadership of award-winning producer Tom Forman (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Kid Nation), Relativity's television arm launched in June 2008. The division has quickly become one of the country's largest suppliers of unscripted television. RelativityREAL currently has 70 projects in active production, including 17 original series airing on television or in the upcoming season. In addition, the division is developing a slate of scripted sitcoms, dramas, and sketch comedy series to be released in the next year. Most recently, RelativityREAL partnered with YouTube and will be launching a channel in the fall. RelativityREAL's executive ranks are bolstered by overall production deals with TV veterans Jay Blumenfield and Tony Marsh, Ashley Tisdale's Blondie Girl Productions, executive producer Ellen Rakieten ("The Oprah Winfrey Show") and Ray Ricord.

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(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) 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 a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.