Viacom has appointed Sarah Levy to the position of chief operating officer of its global entertainment group, effective immediately.

In her newly created role, Levy will oversee operations and strategy for MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Spike, CMT, TV Land, Logo and Viacom International Media Networks. She will also manage the following functions for the group: production management and operations, digital, strategy and business development, research and content and programming enterprises.

She will also help guide content distribution, finance, business and legal affairs and human resources functions across these networks.

Most recently, Levy served as chief operating officer of the Viacom Kids & Family Group and chief operating officer of Nickelodeon prior to that role. During her 18-year tenure at Viacom, she has overseen various businesses and departments ranging from consumer products to TV networks to ad sales. She began her career with Nickelodeon in 1998 as director of business development.

"Viacom is committed to making the changes necessary to enhance performance, and we are deeply focused on increasing coordination and collaboration across our individual brands,” says Bob Bakish, chief executive officer, Viacom. “Aligning these network operations under Sarah represents an important step forward to becoming a stronger and more integrated organization. In Sarah's nearly 20 years at Viacom, she has established a strong track record of success, and has been a key leader at Nickelodeon, helping to drive the network's long-range strategy and the continued dominance of the brand across every screen and revenue stream."