Quantcast
"We knew we had to find an experience to address the fact that young people are simultaneously watching the VMAs and online chatting in real time... So, we decided to deliver the access they crave by bringing them behind the curtain.”
—-Christina Norman, MTV President

MTV VMAS GO INTO OVERDRIVE

Awards Show will Be Covered Online, Via Mobile Outlets, MTV2, mtvU, More
You want your MTV VMAs? You got it... in more ways than you can imagine.

The network's 2006 Video Music Awards, being held on Aug. 31 in New York’s Radio City Music Hall, will be beamed out via multiple media.

For the first time ever in awards show history, MTV will expose fans to the insanity on and off the stage on Overdrive, the network’s broadband channel, which will air VMA Live: Backstage Uncensored, an unprecedented live view of all the action behind the scenes and backstage viewers have never gotten to see.

In addition, MTV Mobile will also offer updates and recaps of the VMAs within minutes for wireless carriers. This year’s multiplatform experience follows up on MyVMAs 2005, which produced more than 14.7 million streams of VMA content from MTV Overdrive.

Said MTV President Christina Norman via text message: “Always looking to innovate, we knew we had to find an experience to address the fact that young people are simultaneously watching the VMAs and online chatting in real time with their friends about the unexpected moments and speculating about what’s going on backstage. So, we decided to deliver the access they crave by bringing them behind the curtain.”

Additional VMA programming elements on MTV Overdrive, accessible at VMA.MTV.com, will include a live simulcast of MTV News’ pre-show, interviews with talent, MTV VJs and MTV News correspondents both live during the television broadcast and on-demand after the show. VMA.MTV.com will also get viewers prepped for the biggest night in music with highlights from past VMAs, performance playlists, VMA NYC tour, Bling Report, among other highlights. Past VMA Overdrive shows will also be featured on VOD.

During the show, viewers will be able to e-mail photos of themselves and their VMA experience to VMA.MTV.com. A few of those photos will be chosen to be displayed onto the large video screens onstage, as the VMAs give a face to the viewers watching at home.

VMA Live: Backstage Uncensored then turns into "MyVMAs" beginning immediately after the show. Every performance and highlights from the show will be available on demand. Users will be able to customize their own VMA experience on MTV Overdrive, allowing them to re-live and re-mix their own VMA experience by combining their favorite moments from the star-studded night with exclusive, bonus segments, all available from an on-demand menu.

In addition, MTV2 will have a live simulcast of the VMAs, with MTV2 VJs providing their own commentary on the show, replays of outstanding moments and performances that are worth a second look, and forecasting upcoming performances and awards, as well as getting VMA dish from celebrities.

During the show, mtvU will feature videos of nominees, performers and presenters who were once regulars on the college channel and "graduated" to MTV. mtvU will go live twice an hour to college student correspondents and VJs giving updates from the show. mtvU will feature several hours of college-themed VMA coverage in the run up to the show, including a special installation of "Dean's List" hosted by a VMA-nominated artist that started out on mtvU, reports from a college student serving as a VMA seatfiller, and college professors using their academic powers to predict who will take home the coveted Moonmen.

MTV Networks' high-definition channel, MHD: Music High Definition, will have the first-ever VMA simulcast presented in HD. MTV World will also bring the action to their own channels: MTV Desi, MTV K and MTV Chi with a live simulcast of the show. The World channels will have their own correspondents on site to provide a customized point of view of the 2006 Video Music Awards, for their audiences, re-airing the show at a later date with new red carpet perspective.

Additional elements on MTV Mobile include the launch of a mobile boutique on MTV.com featuring ringtones from VMA nominees and wallpapers. MTV Mobile users will also be able to enjoy backstage, red carpet and additional VMA coverage. Presented by Virgin Mobile USA, MTV will be introducing the first-ever Ringtone of the Year award, where fans will be able to vote on their favorite ringtone by downloading free tones from the nominees as announced on TRL the week of the show. The winning ringtone will then be available as a free download on Virgin Mobile over the weekend following the VMAs. In addition, Virgin Mobile users will be able to vote exclusively for the “Viewer’s Choice” award from their phones.

URGE, MTV Network’s digital music service, will be launching a VMA homepage today, including exclusive editorial content on this year’s nominees, and playlists of each category’s nominees and past winners dating back to the very first VMAs. To access all VMA coverage, users can visit www.URGE.com to download the service for free.

The program will be available to a potential viewing audience of more than 1.3 billion people via MTV’s global network of 50 channels reaching 481.5 million households around the world as well as through syndication. Its convergent and original online programming will reach the entire interactive community, via MTV’s 43 Web sites around the world.

The official sponsors of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards are Acuvue, Chevrolet, Dodge, Herbal Essences, JC Penny, Pepsi, Taco Bell and Virgin Mobile USA.

NEAR TRUTHS: SPRING BLOOMS
Here come the big guns. (3/28a)
THE COUNT: COLDPLAY IS HOT, COUNTRY'S COOKIN' IN THE U.K.
The latest tidbits from the bustling live sector (3/28a)
CITY OF HOPE TAPS MARCIANO FOR TOP HONOR
This year's philanthropic model (3/28a)
TRUST IN THE TOP 20
Hip-hop is no longer hibernating. (3/28a)
UMG BROADENS SPOTIFY OFFERINGS
Sir Lucian and Daniel are in harmony. (3/28a)
THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
 Email

 First Name

 Last Name

 Company

 Country
CAPTCHA code
Captcha: (type the characters above)