MTV site revamp to target online rivals

by Andrew McCormick, Media Week 29-Jan-08

Viacom-owned MTV Networks is to relaunch its main website and position it as a general music and entertainment portal, in an attempt to win back users flocking to rival youth sites such as MySpace.

The youth TV broadcaster will promote its nine flagship TV channels
including MTV One, MTV Hits and VH1 through specifically built campaign
sites, which are each linked to its revamped main site.

The move enables MTV.co.uk to be relaunched as a generic music and

entertainment destination.

MTV said that the new website will also feature exclusive news and video
content.

MTV News will become more central to the company's online offering,
after young people identified it as one of their favourite features.

The move is also designed to take advantage of what MTV calls its
360-degree commissioning - where new projects are commissioned with TV,
online, mobile and other brand extensions in mind.

The multimedia commissioning approach bore its first fruits last year
when MTV launched online games around Pimp My Ride and Totally Jodie
Marsh.

The website relaunch is based on findings from an MTV research project
conducted last year, which sought to find out what 16 to 24-year-olds
wanted from digital technology.

The move is also in response to increased competition from emerging
youth-oriented sites.

MySpace, which has developed from a social network into an entertainment
portal by investing in video and music, is seen by many as the main
online hub for young musicians and music fans.

MTV's online relaunch follows its decision to axe its user- generated
content-led TV channel MTV Flux.

MTV will keep its Flux online service, but has decided to replace the TV
channel with a time-shifted version of MTV One from next month.

The Viacom-owned firm has ramped up its online presence in recent years
as youth consumers increasingly turn away from multichannel TV and to
the web for their entertainment.

Sites such as MySpace and Bebo have built huge audiences partly by
offering bands their own space to advertise and interact with fans.

MTV attracted 1.2 million unique users in December 2007, compared to
MySpace's 9.3 million, according to figures from online research firm
comScore.