MUMBAI: At its fourth annual joint upfront presentation, MTV Networks (MTVN) presented the advertising community with a multi-platform message underscoring how the company's brands --MTV, MTV2, Vh1, Comedy Central, CMT, Logo, Nick at Nite, Spike TV, The N and TV Land -- are best positioned to feed the needs of both consumers and advertisers in the digital media age.

The presentation, led by MTVN chairman and CEO Judy McGrath, focused on how the company's multiple platforms, global reach and unrivalled brand strength connect to audiences worldwide offer advertisers many opportunities to reach viewers of all ages and demographics.
Held on 2 May in New York City, the event was highlighted by exclusive musical performances and special guest appearances by some of the biggest names in entertainment.

Among those featured were Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jerry Seinfeld, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx, Lucy Liu, Jessica Alba, Jon Stewart, Mr. T, Miss America Jennifer Berry, The Hogans, Jesse McCartney, Miranda Lambert, Carlos Mencia, Chris Kattan, Ludacris, Stephen Colbert and Sarah Silverman among others, informs an official release.

"MTV Networks is all about developing original content specifically for every platform, for television, wireless and broadband," said McGrath. "In a lot of ways, the technology has finally caught up with us. We are the only pure play content company with a global footprint and a multi-media playbook."

Through its 122 channels, more than 100 Web sites, broadband channels and mobile content spanning 171 countries and territories, MTVN continues to set the standard for creating relevant content that connects with target audiences throughout the demographic spectrum and across the digital landscape.

MTVN's portfolio of brands is reaching its highest audience levels ever, at a time when more than 61 per cent of its core viewers consume their entertainment content on multiple screens.

McGrath continued, "We have the most loyal and digitally wired audiences in the world, the very consumers who are driving the digital revolution. Our portfolio of brands is enjoying record audience levels because wherever our viewers are, we know how best to connect to them with original and relevant content. Our advertisers know this, and they can count on us to reach every demographic across the trusted and influential environments we create worldwide."

MTV Networks president and COO Michael Wolf remarked, "If there's one thing that has become clear in this multiplatform world, it's that brands matter, and we know that our audiences look to MTVN as the navigator through their choices. Because we listen to them, they've led us to other businesses that they find relevant, which means MTVN now has even more touch points for advertisers. We know that our audiences are into user-generated content, social networking and gaming, so we've made strategic acquisitions like IFilm, GameTrailers, NeoPets and, just last week, XFire."

MTVN's 2006 Upfront presentation also took a look at the company's first-of-its-kind Multiplatform Engagement and Transference Study. The study was a survey providing new insight into the effectiveness of advertising and the impact of entertainment brands that live across multiple platforms.

The study, done in partnership with OTX, focused on quantifying audience "Engagement" -- defined as a deep consumer connection to a media brand's content -- and "Transference"- - the degree that consumers extend the positive feelings they have for media brands to the advertisers associated with them.

Among the survey's key findings were:
* Engagement and Transference multiply when media and advertising embrace multiple platforms;
* Regular viewers of MTV Networks are more strongly engaged with and influenced by the advertisements they see versus viewers of broadcast or other cable networks
* The MTV Networks' brand family offers the strongest Transference of positive brand feelings not only on television, but also on broadband
and online platforms.

"We set out to do an expansive study to find how consumers react to multiplatform media brands as content providers and advertising vehicles," said MTVN executive VP research Colleen Fahey Rush.

"As programmers looking to forge the strongest relationship we can with our consumers, we've deployed content on all platforms, on every screen."

Fahey Rush also said, "We know that advertisers and agencies are looking for a compass in navigating this emerging digital world. Associating themselves with the strongest brands that are creating terrific opportunities to reach consumers in a well-rounded, multiplatform way looks to be an effective strategy, as proven by this study."