BRIT Awards to Air Live

LONDON, August 21: For the first time in two decades, The
BRIT Awards, the annual celebration of the British music industry, will air
live next year, on ITV.

The event, sponsored by MasterCard, is set to take place
February 14, 2007, at London’s Earl’s Court. Peter Jamieson, the chairman of
BPI, which organizes the awards, and co-chairman of The BRITS Committee, noted,
“British music is in one of its most exciting phases with new British talent
shining both at home and abroad, so what better time to take the show live.”

In addition to broadcasting the awards ceremony, ITV will
air more than five hours of related programming on ITV1 and ITV2.

The BRITS aired live until 1989, when, following a
flub-filled event hosted by Mick Fleetwood and Sam Fox, the organizers opted to
switch to prerecorded coverage.