MTV has been my channel of choice for music videos when I had to unwind. Lately, I was frustrated for not getting to see them as the channel tended to air majorly reality shows. It was an observation that aroused curiousity. Some rudimentary research on the Net and I perhaps realized why.

“ On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m., MTV: Music Television launched with the words “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll,” spoken by John Lack. Those words were immediately followed by the original MTV theme song, a crunching guitar riff written by Jonathan Elias and John Petersen, playing over a montage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. MTV producers Alan Goodman and Fred Seibert used this public domain footage as a conceit, associating MTV with the most famous moment in world television history. Appropriately, the first music video shown on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. “

MTV popularized the concept of the VJ and the idea of a dedicated video-based outlet for music was introduced. Music lovers across the world found a platform to connect. MTV became a medium for music to flow across the world.

In 1984, the network produced its first MTV Video Music Awards show, or VMAs. Perceived by some as a fit of self-indulgence by a fledgling network at the time, the VMAs developed into a music-industry showcase marketed as a more relevant youth-targeted antidote to the Grammy awards.

In an attempt to diversify, MTV introduced animated shows to its line-up in the early 1990s. In addition to airing original shows created specifically for MTV, the network also occasionally aired episodes of original cartoon series created by sister-station Nickelodeon (Nicktoons) in the early 1990s.

In the mid- to late 1990s and early 2000s, MTV placed a stronger focus on reality shows and related series. Some of the reality shows on the network also followed the lives of musicians. The Osbournes, a reality show based on the everyday life of Ozzy Osbourne went on to become one of the network’s biggest-ever success stories and was also recognized for the heavy use of bleeped profanity by the Osbourne family members

In 2003, MTV added Punk’d, a project by Ashton Kutcher to play pranks on various celebrities, and Pimp My Ride, a show about adding aesthetic and functional modifications to cars and other vehicles.

MTV also began showing movies targeted toward the teen/young adult demographic. In addition to its regular programming, MTV has a long history of promoting social, political, and environmental activism in young people. The channel’s vehicles for this activism have been Choose or Lose, encompassing political causes and encouraging viewers to vote in elections; Fight For Your Rights, encompassing anti-violence and anti-discrimination causes; and think MTV, the newest umbrella for all of MTV’s social activism.

Similar has been its approach in India. When MTV India started, it basically continued the brand promise of MTV. It played songs to cater to the emerging majority of the Indian population – age group 15 to 25 years. MTV Super Select – Music on demand was the highlight that got the teens hooked. In those days, Radio was nascent and music was scarcely available. As radio emerged, MTV introduced talk based music shows wherein viewers could call and discuss their problems. MTV Bakra was another hit introduction that later became commoditised across various channels.

Radio stations bloomed and cell phones began to climb the wave of convergence. With music now available on-the-go, MTV realized that music would no longer be the sole earner. Shows such as MTV roadies, Style Check picked up pace. The idea seemed to be to touch the teen pulse.

Now, music perhaps has taken a backseat. Reality shows are the main focus. Roadies laid the platform and now the intent is to diversify the content of reality shows. Splitsville, Teen Diva, Connected – are all attempts to add more spice to the channel. No longer can you simply tune in and listen to songs. That is the purview of Radio Channels. The field has been taken over by new competitors.

MTV has been severely criticized on moral and social grounds. An attempt to be whacky might have led it to the edges of profanity, but our intention here is to understand the thinking behind the content and its delivery.

The lesson to pick is the way a brand emerges and the leverage to be derived out of its power. MTV created a new field, set the rules and as the competition picked up, it changed the rules. With time, it effectively managed to change the field itself. It always kept jumping onto the new wave and before the wave ebbed, MTV was ready to jump onto the next. More importantly, it created new waves.

MTV has often been looked at as a crazy entertainment channel. Behind it though, lies a shrewd, ingenious set of brains. It aptly emphasizes that entertainment also needs a strategy.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Related posts:

1. Of Reality and Reality shows!
2. Showing its Colors
3. Sony TV India Brand Relaunch
4. Kaminey, Swine Flu & Lessons learnt
5. India’s own news channel: India TV