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Johannesburg (pte041/24.02.2005/15:30) - Music television channel MTV has launched its first regional music channel in Africa. As the New York Times (NYT) http://www.nytimes.com reports, Johannesburg-based MTV Base is to help the network spot new talent and trends. However, critics warn that MTV's global reach simply encourages foreign artists to mimic the American formats that the mass markets seem to crave. On the other hand, local and regional artists are viewing the new channel as a springboard to international popularity.
According to the NYT, MTV Networks International http://www.mtv.com/mtvinternational is expecting that the best of the continent's artists may be able to jump from the newly begun local channel to other MTV channels around the world. Single artists such as Watershed or Seether have shown that they can also achieve international success. "In Brazil, MTV really did create a demand and help music at the local level," said Steve Harris, Africa's international marketing director for the recording company Universal South Africa.
MTV, which made its debut in the US in 1981, has taken a long time to come to Africa. It is easy to understand why, given that in much of the continent, televisions are only slightly more common than ice rinks. As the NYT reports, in the USA, Americans own one television set for every one person. Africans own one for every 16. In Africa, MTV will add 1.3 million subscribers, more than two-thirds of them in South Africa.
According to Bill Roedy, president of MTV Networks International, MTV's new channel will devote 30 per cent of its airtime to local music, and programming will be co-ordinated out of London. However, after the channel establishes itself, local and international music will divide the airtime 50-50. According to an MTV spokesperson, by the end of next year, the channel's entire operation will operate out of Africa. "We are looking at Africa to be a huge contributor," said Roedy. "It is going to enrich our channels around the world. We work very hard to develop local artists. It is something we passionately believe in. It's not just a natural evolution. It's a commitment," he added.
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