Exclusive | Multiple dimensions, multiple platforms: MTV's Aditya Swamy

Its raining innovations at MTV. True to its title of being the most popular youth entertainment channel in the country, MTV has always adopted a multi-programming stance. The shows that MTV dishes out have all been different from anything that it has done in the past. It also has a list of successful reality shows like Roadies-which is the longest running adventure reality show, Splitsvilla and many others to its credit.

 

While music is at the heart of MTV, clearly the brand is not restricted by it. While most channels in the youth genre specialize in one particular genre of content e.g : music or fiction, MTV seems to be very comfortable wearing multiple hats. MTV plays both filmy and independent music, produces reality shows and most recently produced a TV series unlike any other in India. MTV’s new communication is directed towards demonstrating this multi-dimensional and multi -platform facet to the trade community.

 

“M in MTV stands for Multidimensional”, quips Aditya Swami- EVP and Business head, MTV India. He explains, “Young people today can’t be classified into a single bucket. They slip in and out of multiple avatars seamlessly. That's exactly what MTV is like. The diversity in our offering allows us to engage with our audience at multiple levels. The needle has been moving steadily with a slew of new properties since March, starting with the critically acclaimed MTV Sound Trippin, followed by India's first social road trip titled Drive with MTV, a cutting edge 13 partfilm named MTV Rush, and the largest independent music project in the country with MTV Coke Studio . A line up of fresh and engaging content could spark off a much needed change in what we see on Indian television.”

 

 “ We have 130 million viewers on TV, over 10 million fans on Facebook and 600 k followers on Twitter. 3 million visits are recorded every month on the MTV India website and 5 million people are on our mobile community. All these are merely indicators of MTV’s soaring popularity as a leading brand in the social media space,” he adds.

 

Divulging further details about the communication, Aditya said, “I think it’s a communication strategy that we have been following since a fairly long time. Over the years, M in MTV has stood for different things. At one time it was music, then it was masti and madness; today it stands for multi-platform and multi dimensional.”

 

Aditya exclaims, “Today MTV is much more than a television entity. The youth are available across different platforms. In order to cater to the various entertainment needs of the youth; MTV has also transformed itself from a TV player to a multi platform player. We have over 10 million fans on our Facebook page. Everyday, we have an active conversation with almost 7 million people. A show like Roadies gets more than a 100 million views online, which is beyond the fact of what it does on television. In the last year itself, we did 50 live concerts.” 

He asserts that television is just one of the many homes of MTV and it is made up of many other platforms. Aditya believes that these platforms offer a great way to connect with the audiences and create an impact on their lives.

 

Addressing the multi-dimensional facet of MTV, he said, “Today people wear different personalities. MTV is not purely fiction or purely music unlike the other players in the genre. MTV has donned multiple hats. Our content offerings include music, Bollywood music, music shows, fiction shows, reality shows and much more. Thus, we provide a variety of content and full service offerings .We have the widest content offerings in the genre from a width point of view. Our multi-dimensional and multi-platform approach makes up a very unique mix which helps us stand apart from the crowd and kick start a revolution. Creating concepts which have multiple extensions help in stirring up a youth movement. Our message is simple- Think Young-Think MTV.”