MTV Digital Launches Backchannel: The Party Game for the 21st Century

MTV Digital Launches Backchannel: The Party Game for the 21st Century

Backchannel bridges the TV and online experience through an interactive 'competitive chat' game for fans during live TV broadcasts

NEW YORK, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Tonight at 10PM(ET/PT), fans of "The Hills" will have the chance to come together for the first time and experience Backchannel, a new, interactive, online game that is synched to the broadcast of select MTV shows. Designed and developed in partnership with developers Area/Code for exclusive use on MTV, Backchannel enhances viewer engagement by connecting fans of the show through 'competitive chat.'

"Increasingly, our audience has expressed a desire to control their own entertainment experience. MTV is fulfilling that need by enabling our audience with new, creative digital tools such as Backchannel" said Brian Graden, president of MTV entertainment. "Partnerships with companies such as Area/Code are focused on driving key facets of our digital strategy and offering fans expanded touch points to their favorite MTV content."

How does it work?

Viewers play the game on their computers in special 'chat' rooms hosted on MTV.com (Backchannel.mtv.com) while they're watching the show on MTV. Once the show starts, a few players are selected by the system to be TAGGERS. Taggers type in Tags (words or phrases) in response to whatever's happening on the show at that moment. These Tags will be visible to all players. The rest of the players are CLICKERS and click on whichever Tags they think are the best, funniest and most relevant. Throughout an episode everyone has multiple chances to play as a TAGGER and CLICKER.

"The magic of television is that programs like 'The Hills' bring millions of people together doing the same thing at the same time," said Area/Code managing director Kevin Slavin. "Now we've built a game that connects them to each other."

Backchannel represents an evolution of entertainment through a two-screen approach that enables the MTV audience to connect to their peers through MTV's online community.

"Our research shows that our audience is tech-savvy, and often online and watching TV at the same time. They are already talking to each other during their favorite MTV shows via text and instant messaging, forums, and comments on our video pages, and Backchannel is just taking this process one step further. It will allow us to continue to expand the options for our fans to engage with their favorite MTV shows on MTV.com and multiple screens," said Dan Hart, General Manager of MTV.com.

Backchannel is the latest digital development from MTV and enhances the overall digital experience for MTV fans, alongside other initiatives such as the premium video experience, MTV verticals including IAmOnMTV and Real World Dailies, MTV blogs (Buzzworthy and Remote Control), virtual worlds and the hit video game Rock Band.

About MTV

MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 26 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries-giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV has been the number one rated 24 hour ad-supported cable network P12-24 for 16 straight years. Online, MTV.com scored double-digit growth in 2007 and MTV launched ten dynamic online communities and six new virtual worlds. On the go, MTV Mobile is the #1 music brand in the wireless space - delivering 90% more streams than in 2006. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Wanna know more? Come on in ... http://www.mtvpress.com/.

Source: MTV

CONTACT: Tom Biro, MTV, +1-212-846-6406, Tom.Biro@mtvstaff.com; or
Jessica Casano-Antonellis, Text 100 Public Relations, +1-212-331-8434,
jessicaA@text100.com

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

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