• MTV airs music video programs, talk shows, live broadcasts (e.g. 2009 broadcast of Michael Jackson’s memorial), reality shows, game shows, drama programmes – this shows how they have diversified to have a range of celebrity/reality shows in order to increase viewership
• Present: MTV is a general entertainment channel
o All music has been moved to the MTV Music Channel
• Convergence – music videos and shows are accessible online for viewing whenever – this shows the demand and growing popularity of MTV and its fan base
MTV
o Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ was censored due to it being considered unsuitable for younger audiences as was Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Closer’.
o The regulation of music videos and programmes on MTV has and still is a debatable issue, with some saying that occasionally it is too politically, racially or religion sensitive.
o MTV often replaces expletives or deemed ‘sensitive’ words in songs with ‘friendlier’ words. For example, in Sean Kingston’s ‘Beautiful Girls’, the word ‘suicidal’ was replaced with ‘denial’
o MTV aims to serve the public and deliver content that all can enjoy and so attempts to regulate their content in a way that is most suitable. Many programmes or videos that are considered unsuitable for younger audiences are placed on late-night rotation instead – because supposedly, younger children are asleep before the hours such ‘inappropriate’ material is shown
o Just as television, film, videos and video games are regulated, music videos also have to conform to them as they become ever more easily accessible through convergence. Just as in those other media forms, representations are important in music video as artists have the power to set trends and influence their audiences, impacting society and its views