MTV Asia announced today that the inaugural MTV Asia Awards (MAA) will be held in Singapore at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 2 February, 2002. The first pan-regional event of its kind in Asia, the MTV Asia Awards will be hosted by Mandy Moore amongst others, bringing together the largest gathering of international and local talent ever seen in Asia.

Filmed before a live audience of 7000 people, the show will be broadcast to over 130 million homes across the region, and promoted on MTV Asia's web-site, according to a company release. Portions of the programming will be carried on MTV channels worldwide, reaching more than a billion viewers across 140 countries. The MTV Asia Awards will be sponsored by Mitsubishi Motors and Panasonic.

Bringing recognition to the many leading talents of youth culture, MTV Asia will present 19 different awards during the show, including 10 favourite music artist awards from Asia, six international music category awards, one fashion category award, one film category award and one inspiration award. MTV viewers in all across Asia will be able to participate in the voting process.

The three-hour event will be broadcast across Asia on 2 February, 2002. Pre-event and post-event shows will frame the ceremony, giving viewers a backstage view of the event. All three shows will be broadcast on MTV Asia channels and terrestrial partners across Asia, with portions of the programming carried across MTV's global network, with 35 channels reaching more than 366 million households worldwide, the release says.

Frank Brown, president of MTV Asia, said: "Building on our expertise in world-class awards shows such as the Video Music Awards and Europe Music Awards, MTV has long had the vision to create the first pan-regional awards show for the youth audience in Asia. In the past few years, we have successfully created various local awards shows such as the CCTV-MTV Music Honors in China, MTV Philippines in the Philippines, MTV Penghargaan in Indonesia and MTV Mandarin Music Awards in Taiwan, paying tribute to the very best of local music and musicians. The time has come for a pan-Asia event celebrating music achievements, as well as the triumphs and trendsetters representing all aspects of youth culture across the region. The inaugural MTV Asia Awards will develop into an annual event that young people in the region will eagerly anticipate - a night of glamour and entertainment, MTV style - assembling the hottest talents from Asia and around the world."

To make the MTV Asia Awards truly reflective of the tastes of the Asian audience, the winners of all award categories, except for the inspiration award, will be voted by the viewers. Five nominees for each category will be announced and promoted on different MTV channels starting from 1 November, 2001, and the winners will be chosen through an open poll of viewers and fans in 10 countries. The inspiration award will be a special honor presented by MTV to either an inspiring individual whom young adults across Asia admire or to an organization that has contributed to the betterment of Asian youth and the region as a whole.

Mitsubishi Motors and Panasonic are the regional sponsors of the MTV Asia Awards, which will be promoted on air starting from 1 October, 2001 and continuing till show date on 2 February, 2002. The campaign will be supported by extensive off-air advertising, on-ground events and online promotions in the participating countries.

Says Masahisa Nimi, general manager, International Product Planning & Marketing Department, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation: "Asia is our strategic market, and we need to communicate with Asian youth and young-at-hearts in an exciting and dynamic way. Mitsubishi Motors achieved just that when it sponsored the MTV Europe Music Awards in the past, so we are well aware of MTV's supreme ability to communicate with youth via those attractive and breathtaking events. ...We look forward to sharing this historical moment with Asian youth by playing our part in this very first MTV Asia Awards."

Says Toshinobu Saito, director, Asia & Oceania Sales Office, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.: "Panasonic has been sponsoring the Olympic games and will sponsor the Formula 1, and we are equally excited to be a part of music history - the first and the largest Asian music award event...."

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