NEW YORK, NY (MTV) - For the first time ever in awards show history, MTV will expose fans to the insanity on and off the stage at the 2006 MTV Video
Music Awards. While the VMAs are airing live on MTV, Overdrive, the network's broadband channel, will air "VMA Live: Backstage Uncensored", an unprecedented live view of the ALL the action behind the scenes and backstage viewers have never gotten to see. In addition to the television and broadband experiences, MTV
Mobile on all wireless carriers will also offer updates and recaps of the VMAs within minutes. This year's multiplatform experience builds on MyVMAs 2005 where there were more than 14.7 million streams of VMA content from MTV Overdrive. The star studded awards show will air live from
Radio City
Music Hall on Thursday, August 31st at 8:00PM (Live ET/Tape Delayed PT).
"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," said Christina Norman, President of MTV. "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, more music, more interaction with the 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, just to mention a few of the shows. Past VMA Overdrive shows will also be featured on VOD.
During the show, viewers will be able to email photos of themselves and their VMA experience to VMA.MTV.com. A few lucky viewers' photos will be chosen to be displayed onto the large video screens onstage, as the VMAs help 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 celebrated moments from the stage will be available on demand to our viewers. The backstage experience will also be available in case they miss any parts when it was streamed live. "MyVMAs" users will be able to customize their own VMA experience on MTV Overdrive. "MyVMAs" will allow viewers 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 in an a la carte, on-demand menu. "My VMAs" puts control in the hands of music fans and allows them to experience the VMAs the way they want.
In addition, MTV2 will have a live simulcast of the VMAs. MTV2 will also feature live hits throughout the event with MTV2 VJs providing colorful commentary on everything that's going on, 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 that stop by. The winner of the MTV2 Award will be presented with a Moonman during the live hits. During the show, mtvU will feature videos of nominees, performers and presenters who were once regulars on the college channel and "graduated" to MTV. During this special VMA music block from 8PM - 11PM, mtvU will go live twice an hour to college student correspondents and mtvU VJs giving updates from the show, as well calling out upcoming performances and awards. 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 seat filler, and college professors using their academic powers to predict who will take home the coveted Moonmen.
Also, 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, MTV Chi with a live simulcast of the show. Additionally, 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. The MTV Mobile VMA experience doesn't end when the live show does. Enjoyed Justin Timberlake's live performance? Fans of MTV Mobile video will also be able to enjoy backstage, red carpet and additional VMA coverage. Presented by Virgin Mobile USA, the leading youth wireless network, MTV will be introducing the first-ever Ringtone of the Year award this year, where fans will be able to vote on their favorite ringtone. Virgin Mobile users will be able to "vote" for the Ringtone of the Year by downloading free tones from the nominees as announced on TRL the week of the VMAs. 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.
Last but not least, URGE, MTV Network's digital music service, will be launching a VMA homepage on August 1st, 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 https://www.URGE.com to download the service for free.
The "2006 MTV Video Music Awards" 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.
