AOL Grants MTV Right To Show 10 Uninterrupted Hours Of Live 8 This Weekend; Negotiates Own On Demand

[Staci D. Kramer] You’re reading it here first … Following negotiations with the Live 8 Trust, AOL Music will be delivering Live 8 on demand as concert replays and individual performances through Sept. 5, instead of the original six-week period that would have ended Aug. 12. Look for an official announcement early next week. It’s a savvy move that gives Live 8 extended publicity while AOL Music gets the continued luster and traffic from being the exclusive online video provider. It also works for the artists, who get continued exposure. No additional fees involved.
Meanwhile, Viacom’s MTV turned to AOL this week for help digging out of its PR mess following the derided Live 8 broadcasts on MTV and VH1. AOL Music was supposed to be the only location for Live 8 re-runs for six weeks following the July 2 concerts but the company sold MTV additional rights to air 10 commercial-free hours of concert coverage on July 9. An AOL spokeswoman told me, “We did sell them the additional rights for that in support of the overall Live 8 event and Make Poverty History campaign.” AOL has exclusive North American rights for a period following the concerts.
MTV’s effort to recoup started with a public admission about bad programming decisions during last week’s simulcast on VH1 and MTV. This time the two networks will split the duties: VH1 will air highlights from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; MTV will air a different set from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. (All times eastern.)In another example of online’s impact, MTV Networks Music Group President Van Toffler cited the negative response online as the reason for the move: “At MTV and VH1, we’re in a constant and candid dialogue with our audience, and in the wake of the live events last Saturday, our viewers have resoundingly told us online they want to see full-set performances from their favorite artists.”
Cross-promotion plans are still being worked out.

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