mtvU's Hit Series 'Meet or Delete' Greenlighted for 2nd Season on MTV Channels Worldwide

mtvU's Hit Series 'Meet or Delete' Greenlighted for 2nd Season on MTV Channels Worldwide

MTV Networks' First Worldwide Multi-Platform Show Evolves as Part of HP's Award-Winning 'The Computer is Personal Again' Marketing Campaign

NEW YORK, June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, in partnership with MTV: Music Television and MTV channels in 36 countries, today greenlighted the second season of "Meet or Delete," a multi-platform reality series connecting college students with shared passions around the world. The show follows students looking to link up with one another -- be it a search for a new band member, roommate or date -- where the decision to meet is based solely on the contents of their hard drives.

"Meet or Delete" is the centerpiece of a comprehensive, worldwide media program developed in collaboration with the HP Personal Systems Group as part of its acclaimed "The Computer is Personal Again" marketing campaign. With support from MTV channels around the globe, the program delivered strong results in year one, with 65% of "Meet or Delete" viewers surveyed reporting they felt HP was more "cool," and more than half more likely to consider buying HP products. Given the first-year success, HP has nearly doubled the size of its sponsorship for 2007 and expanded activities across MTV and mtvU's on-air, online, wireless and on the ground properties.

The second season of "Meet or Delete" will delve deeper into exposing how we all have a lot more in common than we realize and how PCs reflect our shared connections. Building on the series' solid first year ratings, MTV and mtvU will debut two new 30 minute specials, and mtvU will premiere four new short form episodes in the US. All six episodes will be versioned and air across MTV properties in Asia-Pacific and Europe, in addition to new seasons produced locally in each region. The show's global online hub, http://www.meetordelete.com/, has just re-launched with new ways for fans to play, create and connect, and is currently hosting a search for the best user- generated promo spots. The top submission from the US will be showcased on MTV and mtvU this fall, with the clip's author also taking home a cash prize of $5,000. More details on the on-air, online and events components in each region are below.

"'Meet or Delete' illustrates MTV's unparalleled ability to partner with our audience on a groundbreaking show concept, and also join with an innovative sponsor to develop a custom program that delivers real business results," said Christina Norman, President, MTV. "We feel we have only scratched the surface of this series' global potential and we're excited to further develop the show and our great relationship with HP in the coming months."

"Today's youth continue to push the pace of digital innovation, as their entertainment and technology-saturated lives have created a higher level of expectation from communications than any other generation," said David Roman, Vice President, Personal Systems Group, HP. "The short, easy to download 'Meet or Delete' episodes are targeted at the mode of entertainment this 'Net Generation' craves, while clearly illustrating how HP technology is making media-rich, interactive connections to the people and world around us easier than ever."

"There's something very fascinating about how technology and emerging devices have come to reflect -- and connect -- the lives of college students everywhere, and the concept really connected with our audience on-air, online and on campus," said Stephen Friedman, GM, mtvU. "We at mtvU feel privileged to be at the core of this global, digital experiment and we're looking forward to the new, compelling stories that emerge from the second season of 'Meet or Delete.'"

Thirty six new episodes of "Meet or Delete" have been ordered across the US, Asia and Europe for the second season. The show and accompanying media will once again roll out on virtually every MTV asset: mtvU, mtvU.com, MTV, MTV.com, MTV2, MTV wireless and MTV properties worldwide. The series' global online hub at MeetorDelete.com has been expanded and now enables users to build profiles, upload videos, photos and more. The site will continue to serve as the clearinghouse for all things "Meet or Delete," with episodes from around the world -- including the entire first season -- unseen footage, interactive games, free music downloads, updates on previous cast members and chances to appear on the show.

   Additional program elements in each region include:   United States   -- Two half hour specials on MTV and mtvU, Meet or Delete:  My New Life --      To kick off the new season, "Meet or Delete" will give four college      students (three in the US and one abroad) the unique opportunity to      step into a new life for one week.  Two "searchers" will plum the      deepest depths of three fellow students' hard drives -- looking for a      life they'd love to call their own, if only for a short time.  Each      student will select one, then the searchers and searchees will trade      places, being whisked off to a foreign locale with nothing to go on but      their counterpart's PC.  The two episodes, premiering in early      September and December, will document what happens when these students      suddenly find themselves in a completely unfamiliar life.    -- Four short form episodes on mtvU, mtvU.com and mtvU mobile - Season two      of "Meet or Delete" on mtvU, premiering September 17th, will break new      ground, placing acclaimed director Joel Schumacher in the searcher's      chair as he picks a key staff member for an upcoming film based solely      on the contents of his or her computer.  mtvU will also work with a top      US university in connecting two incoming freshmen as roommates, help      pair an accomplished gamer girl with her dream gamer guy and more.    -- mtvU Summer Concert Series at Six Flags & mtvU Back to School -- HP is      an official sponsor of mtvU's Summer Concert Series at Six Flags theme      parks, featuring headliners Plain White Ts and Secondhand Serenade, and      will be included in 50,000 "back to school" survival kits mtvU      distributes on 50 college campuses this fall.    -- MTV, mtvU, online and College Media Network -- HP and mtvU "Meet or      Delete" will receive widespread exposure across MTV and mtvU's on-air      and online properties in the coming months, as well as on mtvU's      College Media Network of 510 online college newspapers.    Asia Pacific   -- New season of "Meet or Delete" - MTV channels across Asia Pacific will      debut up to eight new locally-produced episodes of "Meet or Delete"      reflecting themes of particular relevance to Asian youth.  The region's      channels will also get up to 15 versioned episodes of the show, which      achieved notable ratings success last year.    -- Expanded MeetorDelete.com -- The four regional versions of the show's      website will re-launch soon with new opportunities for self expression      and interactivity.    -- University Visits and Road Shows -- "Meet or Delete" will be hitting      the road across Asia, with viewing parties and other festivities      happening at universities in China, India, Australia and Korea in the      months ahead.    -- MTV Asia and online -- HP and MTV "Meet or Delete" will receive      widespread exposure across MTV Asia Pacific's on-air and online      properties for the rest of the year.    Europe   -- New season of "Meet or Delete" -- MTV properties across Europe will      debut four new locally-produced short form episodes of "Meet or      Delete."  Sixteen episodes of the show will also be distributed via MTV      Mobile in Europe and be available on the new "Meet or Delete" W.A.P.      (wireless application protocol) site that just launched in the region.    -- Expanded MeetorDelete.com -- All of the European versions of the site      have recently re-launched with new opportunities for self expression      and interactivity.  Beginning in Q4 of this year, "Meet or Delete" fans      across Europe will be encouraged to submit their best user-generated      promo spots on how their computer reflects who they are, for a chance      to have the clip aired on MTV in Europe and win $5,000 USD plus an HP      laptop.    -- MTV Europe and online -- HP and MTV "Meet or Delete" will receive      widespread exposure across MTV Europe's on-air and online properties      for the rest of the year.   

HP's "The Computer is Personal Again," marketing campaign has evolved beyond its original creative executions -- which featured only the hands and torsos of well-known personalities -- to feature richer, virtual life tours that reveal each identity through environmentally based illustrations of how their personal computers have helped them succeed in business and life. Featuring such achievers as "Master of Snowboards, Gold Medals, Gravity," Shaun White; "CEO of Hip-Hop," Jay-Z; "Titans of Steel," The Orange County Choppers; and "Empress of Style," Vera Wang; the global campaign has received numerous awards for its creative use of traditional, web and viral marketing elements, such as the "Meet or Delete" series and online community, which has been successfully rolled out across key countries in North America, Europe and Asia in the last year.

The deal with MTV was brokered and will be managed on a global level by Zenith Optimedia and Viacom Brand Solutions Global.

About mtvU

Broadcast to 750 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of over 7.2 million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are, through a three pronged approach - on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music videos from emerging artists which can't be seen anywhere else, news, student life features, events and pro-social initiatives. mtvU is always on campus, with more than 500 events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more. For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit http://www.mtvu.com/.

In September 2005, mtvU became the first MTV Networks channel to also be distributed in its entirety online. The network is simulcast and available on demand at mtvU.com 24/7, featuring all of network's on-air content plus exclusive new music, original series and student-produced programming for college students and music fans everywhere.

mtvU also owns and operates the College Media Network, the largest interactive network of online college newspapers in the US, and RateMyProfessors.com, the Internet's largest listing of collegiate professor ratings. The College Media Network comprises over 510 campus publications that serve institutions including Brown University, the University of Illinois, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin and Duke University, with a combined enrollment of over 5.5 million students, reaching an average of 5 million unique users each month. RateMyProfessors.com reaches approximately 10 million college students each year, via the site's more than 6.6 million student-generated ratings of over 1,000,000 college professors.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 137 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, with all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 260 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

Source: MTV

CONTACT: Jason Rzepka of mtvU, +1-212-654-7198, or
jason.rzepka@mtvstaff.com; David French of MTV, +1-212-846-6406, or
david.french@mtvstaff.com

Web site: http://www.mtv.com/
http://www.mtvu.com/
http://www.meetordelete.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment