New MTV Iggy demonstrates lust for life…and pop culture

Michelle Clancy ©RapidTVNews | 14-10-2011



Viacom has unveiled MTV Iggy, a new platform aimed at bringing global pop culture and music to audiences in the United States by showcasing the artists and cultural phenomena trending around the world.
Through a heavy use of social media, along with live broadcast and online streaming, MTV Iggy will showcase international superstars and genres ranging from Brazilian baile funk to Norwegian heavy metal and everything in between.
"Today's music fans live in an astoundingly connected world where pop music is without borders; Latin American audiences love K-Pop and rappers from the Congo are finding fans in Belgium," said Nusrat Durrani, senior vice president and GM of MTV World. "MTV Iggy offers a US stage for artists who are catching fire around the globe. We hold a mirror to a new kind of music revolution driven by young people everywhere who know that good music can come from anywhere."
On 17 October, MTV Iggy will premiere its first episode of The MTV Iggy Show, a weekly showcase of the best new music from around the world. The thirty-minute global music showcase will air on mtvU first, with other editions of the show airing across MTV television networks including MTV and MTV2, as well as MTV.com. At launch, MTVIggy.com offers a vast library of globally cleared content, including live performances, music videos, interviews, articles, reviews, and original photography.
"The launch of MTV Iggy reinforces our commitment to supporting an eclectic mix of artists and further extends our music strategy,” said Amy Doyle, MTV's EVP of music & talent programming strategy. “Great new artists from around the world will have a home base in the U.S., our audiences will discover fresh sounds on MTV, and hopefully we will create great opportunities for collaboration with U.S. acts."
To celebrate the launch, MTV Iggy has initiated Best New Band in the World, a program that features 10 breakthrough acts from countries including the U.K., Australia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Pakistan, U.S.A. and South Korea. The Best New Band in the World, as determined by global fan vote, will be announced on 10 November with an opportunity to perform at an MTV Iggy Live taping in MTV's Times Square studio and promoted on MTV U.S.A. platforms. Since MTVIggy.com launched in beta in late September, the competition has already attracted votes from 159 countries and territories.
MTV Iggy also taps into the social media conversation around global music and pop trends through its Facebook page (facebook.mtviggy.com) and Twitter handle (@MTVIggy), encouraging fans to share, engage and discover new artists.