Interscope Records Scores Exclusive Music Deal With Spike TV's 2008 'Video Game Awards'

Interscope Records Scores Exclusive Music Deal With Spike TV's 2008 'Video Game Awards'

Label To Provide All Performances And Exclusive Playlist For All In-Show Music

Featured Performances By 50 Cent, All American Rejects, LL Cool J And Weezer

Spike TV's "Video Game Awards" Premieres LIVE Sunday, December 14 At 9:00 PM ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group's Interscope Geffen A&M Records and Spike TV announced today a groundbreaking arrangement which taps the label as the exclusive music provider for the network's 2008 "Video Game Awards." As part of this partnership, viewers will experience LIVE musical performances by Interscope Geffen A&M talent 50 Cent, All American Rejects, and Weezer, as well as Def Jam's LL Cool J. In addition, Interscope Geffen A&M will provide the exclusive playlist for all in-show music, including presenter walk-ons and bumpers. The Spike TV 2008 "Video Game Awards," which recognize outstanding artistic and technical achievement in the gaming industry, plus premiering first-looks at the hottest games of 2009 and beyond, debuts LIVE and in HIGH-DEFINITION on Sunday, December 14 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/tape delay on West Coast) from Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, CA.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060322/NYW096LOGO )

Spike TV will also incorporate exclusive footage from 50 Cent's upcoming game "50 Cent: Blood in the Sand," during his live performance at this year's "VGAs."

"Video Games and Music are an explosive creative combination," said Casey Patterson, executive producer and senior vice president of Spike TV talent development & studio relations. "Interscope has the perfect roster of gaming rock and rap artists to provide the playlist for this year's show. We're happy to have them as our partners."

"There's never been a better time for us to enter into this partnership with Spike TV," commented Steve Berman, president of sales and marketing for Interscope Geffen A&M. "Music and video games are more intertwined now than they ever have been and we value the relationship we have with the gamer community. We hope this is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with the VGAs."

The official sponsors of Spike TV's 2008 "Video Game Awards" are Burger King(R), GameStop(TM), Gillette(R), Energizer(R), Mountain Dew, Stride(R) Gum, U.S. Army and Verizon Wireless.

Nominees and winners of Spike TV's 2008 "Video Game Awards" were determined by the VGA Advisory Council, made up of a group of the top journalists in the industry. Games released between December 2, 2007 and December 1, 2008 were eligible for nomination. The Best Independent Game Fueled by Dew winner will be selected by fans who vote on VGA.Spike.com.

Albie Hecht, Oscar(R)-nominated producer and co-creator of the "Kids' Choice" and "Video Game Awards," and Casey Patterson, executive producer of the Video Game Awards and senior vice president event production, talent development & studio relations, Spike TV & TV Land, will serve as executive producers of Spike TV's 2008 "Video Game Awards." Greg Sills is supervising producer and Alicia Portugal is executive in charge of production.

Spike TV is available in 97.7 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060322/NYW096LOGO
Source: Spike TV

CONTACT: Shana Tepper, Spike TV, +1-212-767-4275,
shana.tepper@spiketv.com, or Aileen Budow, Spike TV, +1-212-767-3952,
aileen.budow@spiketv.com

Web Site: http://www.spike.com/

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