MTV Expands Footprint in Indonesia

JAKARTA: Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) has tied up with Karsa Group's FORTE to expand the reach of MTV in Indonesia, adding an additional 12 million households to the channel's footprint.

Effective November 1, MTV will add five local free-to-air TV partners to its existing reach. This covers four cities in Indonesia: Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Banjarmasin and Makassar. The next phase of growth, planned for early 2015, sees FORTE expand MTV's base with additional local free-to-air TV partners in other cities. The four-hour MTV-branded block will air daily from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 12 a.m.

“As the biggest and boldest global youth brand, MTV has enjoyed strong engagement with our youth audience across multiple platforms by offering them the most relevant content and experiences in the markets we operate in,” said Mark Whitehead, the executive VP and managing director of Viacom International Media Networks Asia. “This move demonstrates our commitment to strengthen local engagement, programming and cater to the specific viewing preferences of Indonesian youth. FORTE is passionate about our brand, which will help expand MTV’s existing presence and deepen our brand engagement in Indonesia.”