MTV Networks has signed a global licensing deal to use Warner Music Group Corp.’s record labels and artists to create original mobile programming worldwide.
The deal, announced yesterday, is the first global licensing deal for mobile network-delivered entertainment. It lets MTV Networks create and distribute (to wireless devices) short-form videos with excerpts from Warner’s catalog, including artists Sean Paul, Twista, Green Day, Big & Rich and Maná.
MTV Networks CEO Judy McGrath called it “a way to bring more music to more fans across the globe.” In exchange, Warners’ artists get “new platforms for reaching more of their fans on a global scale,” said Warner CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
“MTV Networks’ fantastic programming expertise, its roster of world famous music and entertainment brands and its important demographics in the wireless space make them an ideal partner for taking the mobile entertainment experience to the next level and helping more of our audiences connect with the music they love,” Bronfman said in a statement.
“This is a great leap forward in the evolution of our mobile video strategy, and we look forward to developing more exciting initiatives in this space over the year to come,” McGrath said in a statement.
Content starts with short programs adapted from cable TV shows including Driven and You Oughta Know (VH1) and CMT Insider and Studio 330 (CMT), as well as new content from broadband programs such as Box Set (VH1’s Vspot).
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