MTV Australia Video Music Awards 2008

From the brand that brings you unforgettable moments - some news that will change the face of the Australian MTV Awards

At 12.30pm today Dave Sibley, Managing Director of MTV Networks Australia announced the new look MTV Australia Awards expanding into award categories honouring music, film, television and sport, and in a first for Australia - a viewer will be eligible to win a trophy in 2008.

The 2008 MTVAA's will be held on Saturday 26th April 2008 in a revolutionary new format at Australian Technology Park, Redfern

The 2008 MTV Australia Awards will feature eight live performances and ten awards categories. The awards will be viewer voted as well as selected by MTV Australia.

Viewer voted categories include:

o Australian Music Artist Award,
o New Zealand Music Artist Award
o Music Video of the Year Award
o Live Performer Award
o Television Moment Award
o Bad Karma / Good Karma Award

MTV Recognition Categories include:

o Sports Person,
o International Music Act
o TV/Film Actor.

Global first viewer participation category includes:

o The Remake Award

MTV Awards content will be accessible on television, mobile and online

THE 2008 MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS
TO RECOGNIZE THE BEST IN MUSIC, FILM, TELEVISION, SPORT AND VIEWER-GENERATED CONTENT

Expanded Categories, Ground-Breaking Concept and Inaugural "MTV Remake Award" Mark Global Firsts for MTV

MTV Networks Australia today announced plans to world-premiere a re-designed MTV Video Music Awards concept, radically changing the format and content of the fourth local version of MTV's annual awards telecast which will broadcast live exclusively on MTV and repeated on Fox 8.

On Saturday, 26 April 2008, the first MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS will break the VMA mould by expanding into award categories honouring music, FILM, television and sporting stars. The MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS will also debut a viewer-winning award category, and will be staged in a revolutionary new format at the Australian Technology Park (ATP) in Sydney.A first for Australia, MTV viewers will be eligible to win a trophy during the MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS. The "MTV Remake Award" takes interaction to a new level by allowing viewers to upload and submit videos re-enacting some of the year's unforgettable pop culture moments. The winner of the "MTV Remake Award" will be the first member of the viewing public to receive an MTV award in Australia.

The first-ever MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS will set new standards for the award show concept by creating a truly unique event especially catered to the Australian MTV viewer. With its new home within the Australian Technology Park, the MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS' creative design will be blended amongst the refurbished locomotive workshops, combining the industrial design with the event's glamourous party atmosphere. Instead of resorting to traditional auditorium seating like most awards, the 5,000 guests of the 90-minute show will be treated to an innovative and fast-paced mix of performance, design and staging unlike any awards show to date.

"MTV's audience expects us to shake things up and move away from what's expected in award shows," said Dave Sibley, Managing Director, MTV Networks Australia at the network's press conference today. "The MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS does just that with this new blend of party, performance, unprecedented viewer interaction and expanded award categories."

The MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS will feature eight live musical performances and ten awards presented across music, film, television, sport, viewer-generated content and topical popular culture moments. Seven categories will be viewer-chosen with voting to commence early March. The remaining three categories - favourites in sports, film/tv actor and international music act will be selected by MTV Australia as a way of acknowledging those who have had a significant influence on the Australian MTV audience. "The interesting thing about this approach is it allows us to have a point of view," Sibley commented.

The opportunity to create a new version of MTV's awards show evolved through the recently announced partnership between MTV Networks Australia and the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). This partnership provided MTV Networks Australia with an abundance of music related on-air and on-line content, including the annual ARIA Awards. The MTV Australia Video Music Awards (AVMAs) were launched in 2005.

"With the newly formed partnership with ARIA, and our involvement with the ARIA awards, we felt we could take this opportunity to broaden the scope of our own show," said Dave Sibley. "The MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS will not simply be the Australian version of the U.S. based VMAs - it has evolved to become a totally individual & different awards show concept, tailored for our Australian audience."The MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS will air live and exclusively on MTV Australia ON Saturday April 26 and will be repeated on Fox 8.