mtvU Announces Spring Programming Loaded With New Music and Student Productions

mtvU Announces Spring Programming Loaded With New Music and Student Productions

First Ever 'mtvU Freshmen Five' Picks Breakout Acts to Watch this Semester

Hit Series 'Stand In,' 'Does This Look Infected?' and 'Fresh Produce' Return with All New Episodes

All mtvU Programming to Now Debut on mtvU Uber Before or During On-Air Broadcast

NEW YORK, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to deliver as a crystal ball for new music and a creative laboratory for college students, mtvU today announced on-air, online and on campus programming for Spring 2006 -- offering college students unparalleled opportunities to jump start their careers, experience the best new music and affect positive social change. In response to heavy adoption of mtvU's new broadband channel at mtvU.com, mtvU Uber, the network also announced that all shows will now premiere online before or simultaneously with on-air broadcasts. mtvU has grown distribution more than 30 percent since launch in 2004 and enters this year on a number of new campuses, including top schools such as Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Wisconsin -- Madison, Brown, Princeton, Auburn and Georgia State.

"College students are literally shaping mtvU -- from programming their own channel with mtvU Uber, to creating the content we feature, to determining which new artists we play and bring to campus quads -- and we're offering our network as a national forum for their talents and achievements," said Stephen Friedman, GM of mtvU.

Highlights from the semester ahead include:

NEW MUSIC

"mtvU FRESHMEN FIVE" -- College students are the prophets of new music, and starting this semester, the "mtvU Freshman Five" will bi-annually pick the five emerging artists poised to ride on students' shoulders to superstardom. Each will be featured on an upcoming episode of mtvU's weekly series, "The Freshman," (Tuesdays), which runs down music videos from artists fresh on the scene. The inaugural class of the "mtvU Freshman Five" is:

* Arctic Monkeys -- Sheffield-based postpunk band tearing up the UK charts
and gaining major traction on college campuses across the U.S.
* the Federation -- Emerging Bay Area rap group and pioneers of the
Northern California phenomena, "Hyphy"
* Gym Class Heroes -- Signed by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, the five piece
hip hop band charts its own path with live instrumentation and conscious
lyrics
* Lady Sovereign -- Wembley-bred 19-year old leading the UK's grime
movement and recently signed by Jay-Z
* MF Doom -- Metal-faced underground hip hop superhero building steam off
acclaimed collaboration with Danger Mouse, "The Mouse and the Mask"

"BREAKING THE VIDEO" -- mtvU has greenlit the new series "Breaking the Video," which features O.A.R. and Damone this semester, and gives college students the chance to produce and direct music videos for hot emerging acts. Artists choose the winning concept for the video and travel to campus for the shoot. Each video -- along with a special behind-the-scenes "making of" -- premieres exclusively on mtvU and mtvU Uber. Episode one features college favorite O.A.R., produced by students at Columbia University. Episode two features students from Brooklyn College creating a video for breakout artist Damone. The series is Executive Produced by acclaimed video director Justin Francis of "The Saline Project" (Eminem, Black Eyed Peas, Weezer, 50 Cent), who will serve as a mentor.

"2006 BEST MUSIC ON CAMPUS CONTEST" -- mtvU will soon begin its annual quest to discover America's most outstanding college artists. For the first time, bands will this year build personalized music pages on mtvU.com, where college students nationwide will browse, listen to, and rate their favorites. The winner will receive a record deal and their video will premiere on mtvU and mtvU Uber.

"CAMPUS INVASION '06 TOUR" -- Back for its second year under the mtvU banner, Campus Invasion '06 brings red-hot up-and-comers Motion City Soundtrack, Straylight Run and HelloGoodbye to twenty college campuses across the US beginning the first week in April. Motion City Soundtrack is fresh off winning "The Breaking Woodie" (Best Emerging Artist) at the 2005 mtvU Woodie Awards, Straylight Run's video for "Hands in the Sky" has been a student favorite, earning heavy rotation on mtvU, and HelloGoodbye took first place honors in the recent MTV2 Dew Circuit Breakout battle-of-the-bands competition. *Dates and campuses for the tour are to be announced. For booking, please visit http://www.mtvu.com/uconnect/campus_invasion_tour/

"mtvU EXCLUSIVE LIVE LEAK" -- Rising reggae star Matisyahu got his start on mtvU nearly a year ago, and now he's back to take over the channel, with an on-air, online, and wireless exclusive first look-and-listen of his debut studio album, "Youth." In the seven days running up to the album's release this March, mtvU Uber will each day premiere an exclusive live performance of a new song from the record. The day "Youth" drops, performances from the "Live Leak" will air every half hour on mtvU, while the album streams in its entirety on mtvU.com and as a wireless download for digital phones. Additionally, beginning February 13th, mtvU will exclusively premiere the self-titled lead video from "Youth" on-air and online, as well as a behind the scenes look at the making of the video. The most recent mtvU "Live Leak" alumnus, Death Cab for Cutie, rode the leak of its 2005 release "Plans" to a best ever debut, landing at #4 on Billboard and #1 on the college charts.

STUDENT GENERATED CONTENT AND RETURNING FAVORITES

"STAND IN" -- A new roster of global icons will surprise college campuses this spring and serve as "Stand In" professors for a day. With mtvU cameras following, each will visit an mtvU affiliate school to guest teach an unsuspecting class. Additionally, in March, MTV will air a half hour special highlighting some of the best moments from the acclaimed mtvU series, which has shocked college students with Stand Ins including Nobel Laureate Shimon Peres, Madonna, Senator John McCain, Marilyn Manson, Tom Wolfe, Sting and Kanye West.

"COLLEGE TELEVISION AWARDS" -- Through a new partnership with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation, this year mtvU becomes a multi-platform distribution partner for the College Television Awards, which recognizes the nation's best in film, video and digital works. mtvU and mtvU Uber will profile the 2006 awards this March with features on the nominees, winners and a behind the scenes look at the Television Academy Foundation's gala awards ceremony. In addition to industry recognition and cash prizes, the College Television Awards offer student winners exposure to an audience of Hollywood executives, Television Academy members, and now, their peers nationwide.

"mtvU STUDENT DEVELOPMENT DEALS" -- Starting this spring, mtvU will award multiple "development deals" every semester to stand out students who have submitted for any of mtvU's student-generated series or competitions. The first four students to receive mtvU development deals are: Antonio Campos, a senior in NYU's film program and Cannes Film Festival Cinefondation 1st place winner; Andrew Karlsruher, a Boston University sophomore who traveled to Sudan for mtvU's student-produced documentary on the crisis in Darfur, "Translating Genocide;" and Rocky Murray and Matt Gazewood, students at Great Basin College, whose videotaped antics, pranks and stunts have become the most streamed clips from mtvU's series, "Fresh Produce."

"DARFUR GENOCIDE ACTIVISM VIDEO GAME" -- In partnership with the Reebok Human Rights Foundation, mtvU today unveiled the three finalists in its Darfur Digital Activist competition. Developed by students from Carnegie Mellon, U.S.C. and the DigiPen Institute of Technology, the online video games are designed to spread awareness of the genocide taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan and further mobilize college students to help stop the crisis. The finalists are live on http://www.darfurisdying.com/, where students can play the games and vote for the entry they feel represents the best call to action. The winning prototype will receive up to $50,000 towards development and launch into the digital world.

"SPRING BREAK 2006" -- mtvU is taking over Panama City Beach for two weeks this spring, bringing down some of hottest acts making waves on the college music scene. Armor for Sleep, HelloGoodbye, Juelz Santana, Matchbook Romance and Hawthorne Heights are some of the early confirmed bands and more will be announced soon. The mtvU Stage and Village will be on the beach March 5th - 19th, with live concerts, games, prizes, free stuff and more. Those that can't get to PCB can catch live performances on mtvU.com and mtvU and mtvU Uber.

"TAKE ACTION TOUR 2006" -- This year mtvU again sponsors the Take Action! Tour, which benefits the Kristin Brooks Hope Center (operator of the Youth America Hotline 1-877-YOUTHLINE and 1-800-SUICIDE), helps prevent suicide and generates support for federal funding of suicide prevention programs. The tour runs from March 1 - April 23 and boasts a stellar lineup of up-and-coming bands, including Matchbook Romance, Silverstein, The Early November, Chiodos and Amber Pacific. For a full list of bands, dates and cities, please visit: http://www.mtvu.com/music/take_action_tour/

mtvU is the only place where college students can see music videos and programming featuring many of their favorite artists. The channel is a crystal ball for new music, helping to break acts like Fallout Boy, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers and Matisyahu. Popular music programming returning this spring includes: "Dean's List," mtvU's Monday countdown of the top 10 videos on campus, determined entirely by online student voting; "House Band," a bi-weekly series airing Tuesdays that compiles exclusive performance footage, video premieres and interviews, this spring profiling We Are Scientists, Weezer, HelloGoodbye and Beth Orton "Backstage Pass," where questions submitted on mtvU.com are answered by college favorites every Thursday, including Panic! At The Disco, Armor for Sleep and Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis this semester. In addition, mtvU Uber has also begun exclusively premiering a new video from an emerging band or artist every Monday.

Other student favorites back for Spring 06 include "Does This Look Infected," where VJ Jam Jamma Josh takes a hilarious and unreliable look at the health issues facing the college student body; "Fresh Produce," which every Wednesday profiles handpicked batches of student-produced programming uploaded to mtvU.com from campuses across the country; "Quad Squads," a reality series this semester pitting SEC rivals Auburn University and the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa in a competition to develop the best student-focused marketing campaign for Snickers; plus "The Opening," which gives upcoming grads the down low on what to expect from their first job and through partnership with MonsterTRAK, the opportunity to apply for similar jobs on mtvU.com.

About mtvU

Broadcasting to over 730 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of over 6.8 million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are, through a three pronged approach -- on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music programming, news, student life features, events, pro-social initiatives and more. For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit http://www.mtvu.com/ .

mtvU Uber makes mtvU the first MTV Networks channel distributed in its entirety via broadband, streaming 24/7 and on demand, featuring all of mtvU plus exclusive new music, original shows and student-produced programming for college students and music fans everywhere.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 100 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 95 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

Source: mtvU

CONTACT: Jason Rzepka of mtvU, +1-212-654-9198,
jason.rzepka@mtvstaff.com; David French for MTV/MTV2/mtvU, +1-310-752-8110,
david.french@mtvstaff.com

Web site: http://www.mtvu.com/
http://www.mtv.com/

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