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Cape Town – From today MTV (DStv 130) will show people's clips and short videos on television when they use the hashtag #MTVbump as the international youth platform changes from I want my MTV to I am my MTV in its latest big brand reinvention.
The Viacom International Media Networks channel will connect its linear broadcast system to the internet to showcase social media videos on MTV in real time, saying it wants to "celebrate our audience and their talent" by spotlighting their social media videos between programming on-air and across all platforms.
From now on viewers' social media videos will be shown on MTV on television in more than 160 countries between programming as the youth brand opens itself up further to young people through showcasing user video content to audiences worldwide.
Using #MTVbump, viewers will be able to let MTV know they want to share their video on television. MTV then selects the best videos and broadcast them – from fun and crazy videos to pranks.
MTV says its promos will also take on a new look and feel and will be shorter, louder and hyper-visual as MTV experiments with narrative structures and visual storytelling.
MTV Canvass coming
Later in the year MTV will also be introducing MTV Canvass – a digital "sticker book" that will help viewers to create and share original MTV art, backdrops, celebrities, music and art work.
"MTV has always been committed to reinvention and it's time to shed our skin and reinvent again," says Kelly Taylor, the senior vice president for youth and music for Viacom International Media Networks and chief marketing officer of Viacom UK.
"Our audience expects MTV to push boundaries and take creative risks, and we truly believe that with this rebrand MTV's international channels will look like nothing else".
MTV is working with B-Reel Creative to connect the internet to the network's linear broadcast system, making it possible for social media videos on Instagram or Vines shared on Twitter with #MTVbump to be shown on-air within two hours.
MTV will curate the user content and filter it for relevance, pop culture topicality or number of fans and then play it out on-air and across MTV's platforms. Users can also submit videos at MTVbump.com, where the videos which were broadcast around the world will also be shown.
Some artists and social media talent like Grumpy Cat, Rixton, Shawn Mendes and Martin Garrix already did some special creations.
"No-one is bringing user generated content to air this quickly on a global scale," says Kelly Taylor. "#MTVbump lets us be incredibly topical, fast and localised – which is critical."
MTV is also adding a series of new Art Breaks which will spotlight experimental video art, music and storytelling from emerging artists around the world.
