Network reaches 100 channels worldwide

Company is set to unveil its first channel in Africa.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Dreams of world domination must be hard for MTV executives to avoid when they host a party at the Kremlin, with a Russian diva and Queen dueting on "We Will Rock You" and Russian soldiers performing a hip-hop dance routine.
MTV Networks will reach a milestone in February when the turn of a switch starts an MTV outlet in Africa, the company's 100th channel worldwide and first based on that continent.
Most of its American audience is probably unaware of the extent to which MTV and its sister networks have blanketed the world in an aggressive expansion drive. That may soon change.
Much of it is the work of Bill Roedy, who joined MTV shortly after its first international network, MTV Europe, opened in Amsterdam in 1987. As he greets a recent visitor to his office, he's a little glum; he just got a call telling him Russian President Vladimir Putin had to put off their meeting for a few weeks.
"It seems easy now," Roedy said. "Back then it was not as easy. I don't think anyone imagined it would be like it is now."
New in Africa
Of the 100 worldwide networks, 43 are some variation of MTV -- like Africa's new networkMTV Base, which is an offshoot of a European channel focusing on urban music. Twenty-three are Nickelodeon offshoots, 15 are VH1s and the rest includes a number of local networks that MTV's parent company Viacom has acquired.
MTV estimates that at least one of their networks is available in one-third of the world's homes with televisions. About 80 percent of its viewership now is outside of the United States.
HBO, Discovery, ESPN and CNN have all been active internationally, but none have built worldwide distribution to the extent of MTV, said Larry Gerbrandt, a television analyst for AlixPartners LLC.
The logic is simple: the United States is a "mature" market now with limited expansion possibilities, he said.
"The long-term future is international," he said. "So from a strategic viewpoint, it's where MTV and Nickelodeon can reap the most rewards."
That's why there's a Nickelodeon in Nepal, and a Nickelodeon Nordic dubbed in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. Launched last year, MTV Guangdong is available to 77 million homes in China and Hong Kong. MTV Indonesia includes a regular call to prayer for its Islamic audience. MTV Australia films a version of "Total Request Live" from a boat in Sydney Harbor.
Local culture
The theory is to make each channel reflect the local culture, Roedy said. MTV in Japan is very edgy, very tech-oriented, for example, while the stylistic MTV in Italy even has food programming.
It's often a mystery which programs travel well. "Real World" is consistently MTV's most popular show in the United States, but international audiences have little patience for self-absorbed young Americans trying to live together in a big house.
Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, meanwhile, have big followings overseas. Probably the most popular MTV offering internationally is the outrageous auto makeover show "Pimp My Ride."
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