 | |
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Australia,New Zealand |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV16:9,4:3) 720p (HDTV16:9) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Paramount Networks UK & Australia |
| Sister channels | Club MTV MTV Hits MTV 80s CMT |
| History | |
| Launched | 14 June 1996; 28 years ago (1996-06-14)[1] |
| Closed | 1 August 2023; 19 months ago (2023-08-01) (Australia & New Zealand) |
| Replaced by | MTV Global |
| Former names | ARC Music Channel (prior to 20 March 1997)[2] |
| Links | |
| Website | www.mtv.com.au |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Fetch Mobi(AU) | Channel 104 |
| Sky Go(NZ) | skygo.co.nz |
MTV was a 24-hour general entertainment channel specialising in music and youth culture programming which serves Australia and New Zealand.[3]Paramount Networks UK & Australia headquartered in London with a local office atNetwork 10'sheadquarters inSydney is responsible for marketing and advertising in Australia and New Zealand. The channel was replaced byMTV Global in August 2023.[4]
The "MTV" brand was launched in Australia during April 1987 as a music program that aired late on Friday and Saturday nights for its full six-year run on the free-to-airNine Network.[5] The program was hosted byRichard Wilkins andJoy Smithers with music news from Alison Drower.[6][7] Its competitors at the time wereABC TV'sRage (which also started in April 1987) andNetwork Ten'sVideo Hits (which started in February 1987).
MTV Australia's focus was predominantly on Australian, British, Canadian and American artists and the program rarely played other forms of rock and pop music. The program presented a mixture of music videos, interviews and segments, and depended heavily on imported US content. In its early years it also showed the MTV USA game showRemote Control.
The program was discontinued in 1993 when Nine chose not to renew the licence withViacom. Nine said the axing was due to high production and licensing costs. Saul Shtein brought MTV to Australia with Richard Wilkins.
"ARC Music Television", owned byAustereo, was launched three years after MTV ended on the Nine Network on 14 June 1996 in a joint venture with, then, music giantAustereo andVillage Roadshow throughOptus Television to become a twenty-four-hour music channel playing pop music and airing original programming.[1][8] After a year on the air the network was approached by MTV Networks in the US and through a deal once again with Austereo, Village Roadshow Entertainment and Optus Vision ARC was re-branded as MTV Australia.[9]
Five months after the initial announcement of ARC's re-branding, MTV Australia was officially re-launched on Optus Television on 20 March 1997.[10] The channel originally produced local programmes but due to cost cutting the channel aired mostly American content.[8]
In December 2002 MTV was added to theFoxtel platform and was added in 2004 to theAustar platform.[11] In the same year the channel set up MTV Networks Australia, which began work on launching its own original programming with the launch of the Australian version of the hit American showTRL on 10 September 2004 with hostKyle Sandilands from2day fm.[12] MTV Networks Australia launched sister channelVh1 on 14 March 2004 when cable companyFoxtel launched its digital network.[13]In 2005 MTV premiered more original programming withMTV Full Tank and on 3 March MTV launched the first inauguralMTV Australia Video Music Awards atLuna Park's Big Top with hostsThe Osbournes.[14] In April 2006SelecTV began carrying the channel.[15] At the end of 2006 it was announced that MTV would premiere its latest original show,MTV's The Lair which premiered on 26 January 2007 and is aired live every Thursday atThe Metro Theatre.[16] In the mid to late 2000s MTV Network took ownership of the channel from Optus. At the beginning of 2007 MTV re-located its head office fromRyde toYurong St inEast Sydney.[17] In April MTV Networks Australia launchedTMF Australia on theOptus Cable Service.[18] In February 2010 it was announced that MTV would replace sister channelVH1 withMTV Classic which launched on 1 May 2010.[19] On the eve of the launch for MTV Classic a spokesperson for MTV Australia announced that a third channel would be launched later in 2010.[20] It was later revealed on 20 September 2010 that MTV would launch three new channels in Australia;MTV Hits, MTVN Live and MTVN Live HD. MTV Hits will play music 24 hours a day and MTVN Live will have concerts and festivals from around the world as well as documentaries. The channel's are set to launch on 1 November 2010.[21] As part of expanding its local programming, MTV Australia announced its first reality seriesFreshwater Blue which follows the lives of twelve Australian teenagers in theNorthern Beaches suburb ofFreshwater.[22]
In June 2010 the channel became available on the newFetchTV service.[23] In 2010 the MTV Australia and MTV New Zealand feeds were merged and the combinedMTV Australia and New Zealand began broadcasting out of the network's Sydney offices.[24]
As of Autumn 2013, Viacom International Media Networks in Sydney has relocated its MTV (for Australia and New Zealand) and Comedy Central (New Zealand) channels to VIMN in London. The channels advertising department will remain in Sydney for the time being.[25]
In February 2018, MTV Australia was made available in HD (720p) on Fetch TV, becoming the first and only provider in Australia to do so.[26]Sky also broadcasts the channel in HD.[27]
On 17 September 2019, it was reported that sister channelNetwork 10 would launch a free-to-air MTV Australia in the coming months. A further announcement was made in May 2020 regarding a fourth multichannel from Network 10, which is expected to feature content from the back catalogue ofViacomCBS properties such as MTV andNickelodeon. This was confirmed by the network on 13 July 2020, with the new channel launching as10 Shake in September 2020. It will air kids content, primarily from Nickelodeon, from 6am to 6pm, with MTV, Comedy Central and CBS programming targeting young adults and adolescents airing from 6pm onwards.[28][29][30]
On 1 August 2023, MTV was removed from Foxtel (alongside Nick and Nick Jr.), coinciding with the relaunch of10 Shake as a free-to-air version ofNickelodeon. At the same time, a suite of MTV-brandedPluto TV FAST channels were made available on Paramount-owned BVOD service10Play.[31] MTV Australia and New Zealand was replaced by MTV Global in August 2023.[4]The decision to change the feed to the international channel was confirmed by Paramount Global in October 2023. The decision to axe Australian music and programming was criticised by the music industry in Australia.[32] MTV will continue to operate country specific content through its Australian themed social media.
Most of the channel's programming is sourced fromMTV USA,MTV Europe and from other content providers within the Viacom/MTV Networks family. This includes entertainment programs popular in the US such asPimp My Ride,Life of Ryan,Laguna Beach/The Hills, andRoom Raiders. Frequently the channel features themed programme blocks and "marathons" on weekends, featuring an entire season of a particular show played over several hours.
MTV Australia was originally only available through theOptus Television service (previously Optus Vision). This exclusivity deal was dropped in late 2002 and in 2003 MTV became available in a premium package on theFoxtel subscription TV platform. Around this time the channel also became available on theAustar platform.
Currently MTV is carried by all English-language pay TV providers. It is available as a basic channel onFoxtel,Austar,TransTV,Neighbourhood Cable andFetch. OnOptus Television the channel is available in add-on tiers. It was formerly available onSelecTV until the closure of its English service in late 2010.[42]
In 2005 MTV Australia launched the first ever MTV Australia Video Music Awards (Now known as theMTV Australia Awards), based on theVMA awards format used in Europe and the US. It was held atLuna Park in Sydney. Following suit with the location, theAVMAs had a circus theme and was hosted by various members of theOsbourne family. The awards ceremony included many international and local guests. In 2010 it was announced that MTV Networks Australia will launchMTV Classic. As part of the launch MTV will have a music event that will replace the annual awards ceremony for 2010.[19]
In a joint venture withSony Ericsson andOptus, MTV launched the Optus ONE80PROJECT which was a competition for young writers, directors and producers to create a three-minute pilot and script to be aired on TV, mobile phone and internet. The prize was an opportunity to work with the MTV production team to create full-length dramas to air on the MTV Network. The entries opened on 11 September 2006 and closed on 24 November 2006 and the voting then commenced on 1 December 2006 and closed on 26 January 2007. The voting consisted ofViewers Choice andJudges Choice. The winners were announced on 7 February 2007 with The Viewers Choice going toBen Briand forHammer Bay and the Judges Choice going toKarl Mather andZenon Kohler forTakoyaki City.[43] In 2007 the competition ran again with the winners announced on 28 January 2008 at the ONE80PROJECT festival screening at Harmony Park in Surry Hills. The Viewers Choice Award went toKade Robinson forGeneration When and the Judges Choice went toSarah Daggar-Nickson andScott Otto Anderson for their co-productionDream Life. The 2008 competition is currently underway with winners to be announced early 2009.
In 2007 rapperSnoop Dogg was to attend theMTV Australia Video Music Awards 2007 as a co-host on 29 April but a few days prior to the event it was announced that Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews would not grant him a Visa into the country because of past criminal convictions overseas.[44] In response MTV Australia organised the "Vote for Snoop" campaign throughMySpace which contained videos talking about how much he wants to become an Australian citizen in different situations.[45]
Occasionally Australian free to air television stations look at the success of shows on MTV before purchasing them for broadcast. In particular,Network Ten who purchased broadcast rights toThe Osbournes from MTV Networks.Ten was required to wait until the show had aired on MTV Australia before broadcasting on their own channel. Later Ten purchased rights toJackass,Pimp My Ride (but as of 2012, is being shown on7mate) andLaguna Beach.
Public broadcasterABC also purchased the rights to animationDaria, which formerly aired during its children's programming slot, edited for content. As of September 2016,Daria is airing on SBS Viceland.
As of 2009 programmes fromMTV Networks are being screened on theNine Network ChannelGO!.[46]The Hills is currently being broadcast on the channel.[46]
In late 2011, Network Ten bought the rights to air Geordie Shore on its channel for free to air television. It started airing on its digital channel "Eleven" in 2012 and continues to air as of 2013.
As of December 2019,Network 10 is now a sister operation to MTV, following the2019 merger of CBS and Viacom.
The MTV Australia website has had a turbulent past. It was originally hosted without a domain name byVillage Roadshow. It gained a domain name in 1998 as mtv.com.au. The website was very basic and only included information aboutMTV Unplugged and the AmericanVMAs. In 1999 the website seemed to have been abandoned completely. In 2000 the website simply redirected to the American MTV site before the domain expired and was locked by a holding company. With MTV's expansion in 2003 the site was revived but pointed towards theMTV Asia Awards. A proper MTV Australia website was launched in 2004 and has since gone through several redesigns. Mini sites for TRL Australia and the AVMAs were also set up.
The site was redesigned in 2007 and free broadband video channelMTV Overdrive launched on 19 April 2007 to coincide with theMTV Australia Video Music Awards 2007, which the Overdrive Channel is only available throughout the territory.[47]
In 2009 the website was re-designed and now mimics mtv.com[48]
Current channels:CMT Australia,Comedy Central Australia,MTV 80s,Club MTV,MTV Hits,Nickelodeon,Nick Jr.,NickMusic,Ten Network Holdings
Defunct/rebranded channels:MTV Live HD,MTV Dance (relaunched asClub MTV),MTV Music, (relaunched asMTV Hits),VH1 (replaced byMTV Classic),MTV Classic (replaced byMTV 80s)
Australia's second 24-hour music TV channel is set to roll out June 14.
On March 20, ARC disappeared to be replaced by MTV, Music Television, and on April 18 RED will be replaced by Channel [V].
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