Tuning into MTV these days is not what it used to be. Once considered the premier channel to get a wide range of music videos, performances, and artist information, the programming has drastically changed in order to fit the booming ratings brought by reality TV. However, with a new music program, the network is looking to put the “M” back into MTV.
Branded as “AMTV,” the six-hour segment showcases mainstream and up-and-coming artists alike, with advertisers sponsoring the musical content. “AMTV,” which started March 30, will run from 3 to 9 a.m., Monday through Thursday.
Scott Friedman, general manager of MTV, has expressed his expectations in the channel’s new morning music programming/advertising experiment, especially in their decision to bring back “Unplugged.”
“If we take ‘Unplugged,’ which our audience still knows and loves, and do a four-minute version after our highest-rated program in prime time, and then we say, ‘You can get it all immediately on MTV.com or see the full thing for the next four days in the morning,’ we’re going to have a lot more people watching,”Friedman recently told the New York Times.
Similar to their move into reality TV, Friedman is hopeful that “AMTV” will provide MTV viewers with a reason to tune in early and often. “We’re trying to move as the audience moves with their consumption habits,” adding, “we know our audience wants more of it.”
