MTV Philippines to return as MTV Pinoy in 2014

After a three-year hiatus, Viacom International Media Networks brings back MTV Philippines after finding a new business partner with Viva Communications, Inc.Viacom decided to drop the MTV Philippines name for the more colloquial MTV Pinoy, an informal demonym for Filipinos. The rebrand comes complete with a new logo and teams for local production, on-ground events, marketing and advertising sales.To start airing in January 2014, MTV Pinoy is expected to reach over 1.22 million Filipino households.Viacom’s game plan for the re-entry is to fully localize the MTV brand and its show lineup, which is a departure from its previous iteration that mostly aired canned shows. Like in other countries, MTV Pinoy will maintain its youth branding, which undeniably comprises the bulk of its viewer base globally and its core strength.“We have a strong MTV fan base from the Philippines, so this move demonstrates our commitment to strengthen local programming and cater to the specific viewing preferences of Filipino millennials,” VIMN Asia’s executive vice president and managing director, Indra Suharjono, said.Making a comeback are popular programs including the “MTV VJ Hunt” for the Philippines. More than just presenters, MTV values its VJs as “extensions of the brand’s personality in the Philippines.”The decision follows major expansions at Viacom in the Philippines with Viva. Five months ago, Viva had commenced as Comedy Central Asia’s provincial distributor and has introduced MTV Live and Nick Jr. earlier this year.MTV Philippines was originally launched in 2001 via a venture between MTV Networks Asia and Nation Broadcasting Corporation, a unit of local media giant MediaQuest.