MTV Acquires Social Project

NEW YORK/SANTA MONICA,
September 23: MTV Networks has purchased Social Project, its partner in the
Flux social-media platform, which allows users to share and interact with
content across a network of more than 1,000 entertainment, pop culture and
music websites, with more than 7.5 million registered users.

“In developing Flux with
Social Project, we took a radically different approach by building a
media-centric social network that’s distributed, yet connected—and that
approach has proven to be very powerful with our audiences,” said Mika Salmi,
the president of Global Digital Media ar MTVN. “With this acquisition, we’ll
continue and accelerate our vision for Flux, and connect our audiences to their
passions and each other by helping them move content and their identity freely
across the Web.”

Previously, MTVN held a
minority stake in Social Project and the acquisition marks the next step in the
evolution of MTVN’s vertical entertainment strategy. It will enable the company
to accelerate the introduction of Flux across its online portfolio and further
connect its websites and others through social media tools.

MTVN will take a more
active role in recruiting new external Web publishers to the Flux network and
will harness the power of Flux’s user data to enable targeting and enhance its
Tribes vertical ad network initiative.

With its emphasis on
social media, Flux gives users the tools to interact with content and join
communities around their favorite shows, stars, artists and interests across
the web. Users can join and immerse themselves in any site in the network,
without having to register, request friends or recollect their favorite content
multiple times. Users can also manage their profile from any Flux site,
allowing them to upload, collect, rate, comment and share media across the
network. Flux also allows users to send and receive content from their profiles
on other leading social networks.

Additionally, Flux enables
web publishers to add social-media features to their sites, giving brands of
all sizes the unique opportunity to extend their reach by joining a network
featuring MTVN’s world-renown brands. The Flux Publisher Network currently
boasts more than 35 MTVN Web sites, ranging from its flagship destinations,
including MTV.com, ComedyCentral.com and Spike.com, to targeted vertical sites
such as Jackassworld.com and TheDailyShow.com, to the recently launched
ColbertNation.com, Atom.com and Soundtrack.MTV.com, among others. On MTV.com
alone, the community has grown to more than 600,000 verified members, making it
the largest Flux-powered site. In the five weeks prior to this year’s Video
Music Awards, MTV.com added more than 250,000 members to the site—more
than four times the average weekly rate prior to that period—after
offering the opportunity for fans to nominate artists for each of the award
categories.

—By Anna Carugati