MTV Tr3s Adds Three Original Series to Lineup

NEW YORK, April 11: MTV
Networks’ English-language Latin youth channel MTV Tr3s is launching three new
series based on ideas drawn from its focus group, the Cooltura Panel.

MTV Tr3s’ Cooltura Panel
is a group consisting of 100 young Latinos who provide feedback and input to
the channel on programming strategy and content. According to the network, the
group indicated that they want to see viewers reflected in the programming, and
insist on interactivity and engagement as part of their music experience. They
also seek an intimate and less traditional approach to music programming.

The first series to result
from this input is Rock Dinner,
premiering on April 14. The show features Latin artists such as Baby Bash,
Awkid, AB Quintanilla, Pitbull, Kat de Luna and Enrique Iglesias. Fans get to
cook dinner for their favorite artists and then sit down to enjoy a private
concert by them. With only five hours and a limited budget to prepare the meal
and tidy up the house, the excited fan has to stay calm while trying to impress
their superstar dinner guest.

Premiering June 16, Bust
a Ritmo uses dance as a motivator
in helping young Latinos accomplish a goal. Hosted by kumbia artist Pee Wee, each
episode features a young person who must learn a complicated dance routine and
then use the newfound skill to make a dream come true.

MTV Tr3s is also launching
a new talent-discovery series, Dame un Break. The multiplatform project launches on May 12 and
gives Latino youth a chance to showcase their talent by entering a contest to
win a chance of a lifetime: a music video produced by MTV Tr3s and their own
album or EP release. To enter the contest, bands upload their song to the Dame
un Break website, create an artist
profile and invite the world to vote for them.

“At MTV Tr3s everything we
do puts our young Latino consumer at the front and center and they've told us
that Latin music defines them,” said Lucia Ballas-Traynor, the senior VP and
general manager of the channel. “The sounds, lyrics and artists are the soul of
their culture, a source of pride, a unifying force and a form of expression
that differentiates them from other youth segments. And for this reason, music
is at the core of MTV Tr3s.”

—By Ned Berke