MUMBAI: For the first time ever, Doordarshan has agreed to telecast one of music channel MTV's concerts, in a prime time 90-minute weekend slot on DD National.

The MTV Music Summit for AIDS, to be held to coincide with World AIDS Day on 1 December, will be telecast on the music channel on 13 December and on the public broadcaster on 15 December. DD Sahyadri will also carry the 90-minute telecast, although the date and time are yet be finalised, according to MTV India managing director Alex Kuruvilla.

A star-studded line up of pop music artists, Bollywood gliterrati and MTV veejays will entertain crowds at the MMRDA grounds for five hours on 1 December, interspersing the music items with public service announcements related to AIDS. The Avert Society, a USAID funded organisation that works to reduce the impact and control the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Maharashtra will be presenting the event jointly with MTV for the second year in a row.

A multi-media strategy, including radio (a tie up with Go 92.5 FM), outdoor, print and on air (messages through all MTV programmes) has already been put into place to create awareness for the event and after, says Kuruvilla. Like last year, the Family Health International, will track the response from the event, aimed at creating awareness among youth, through exit polls, as well as by monitoring the number of households reached. With DD agreeing to telecast the event, the awareness should penetrate over 70 million homes this year, says Avert Society project director K Vaidyanathan. MTV's reach of 23.5 million homes in the country is also expected to add to the awareness level.

The event is a continuation of MTV's global initiative of spreading awareness about the disease. A similar event was held by MTV in Cape Town over the last weekend, and another is lined up in Seattle on 27 November. Among the artistes who will perform on 1 December in Mumbai are Alisha, Bombay Vikings, KK, Mehnaz, Shaan, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Silk Route, Shweta Shetty, Hema Sardesai and Vasundhara.