‘Ink Master,’ ‘Bar Rescue’ network Spike to become the Paramount Network

Is Spike TV about to lose a little bit of that pointed edge? Based on the following news that we have to report, all signs seem to be pointing that way.

As first reported by Deadline, the network is going to be undergoing a name change as a part of a large restructuring that is being done by the parent company Viacom. The report notes that the new name is likely to be The Paramount Network, and it will establish more of a connection between the other arms of the famous studio.

As for whether or not this name change is a good idea, it’s fair to say that we’re pretty skeptical given the fact that “Spike” has long been somewhat synonymous of its edge and its target demographic. Think of shows like “Ink Master” and “Bar Rescue,” which have long identified with being intense and edgy. You can argue that “Lip Sync Battle” is a little less so, but executives may be a little more interested in changing a few things around out and trying to find some new series that can appeal to more of a broader audience.

In general, we do know that Viacom has some work to do with some of its cable properties — most notably, we’re talking about MTV, which is really in the midst of a quagmire right now. “Teen Wolf” is ending, many of their other scripted shows have failed to be huge hits in the ratings, and some of their unscripted properties like “Teen Mom 2” are starting to be long in the tooth. We’d argue that “Jersey Shore” is the last time that the network had a hit that was a ratings monster, and that was a rather long period of time ago. Even that wasn’t even the sort of show that brought people together.

Once there are some further updates, we’ll have them for you here! For the time being, we want to know what you think about the new potential name for the network — and also what sort of shows that you’d want to see on it. Leave us a comment in the box below and tell us what you think of the name change. (Photo: Spike … for now.)