BALI, 23 APRIL 2015 – Save the date and start planning your trip to Manila because it is the place to have more fun – come May! MTV, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), announced today that it had entered a collaboration with the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) to create a new Asia show, MTV Music Evolution, a live music event that brings to life the evolution of a music genre and enables young people to experience and discover how music styles and sounds have evolved over the years. MTV Music Evolution marks its inauguration 2015 edition with a feature on hip hop, showcasing iconic and contemporary hip hop acts from both international and local music scenes on a single stage, while featuring the best of Philippine music and culture to international youth audiences. The show is expected to be one of the biggest hip hop music events in Asia in 2015.
Recorded live for global telecast under the MTV World Stage global series to an international audience of more than three-quarters of a billion households in over 160 countries, MTV Music Evolution marks its first edition in the Philippines on Sunday, 17 May 2015 at the historic Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park in Manila. The show premieres on-air on Saturday, 30 May at at 6pm (TH/WIB), 7pm (PH/SG), 8pm (MY). The anticipated performers’ line-up to grace the MTV stage for the first time in the Philippines includes iconic and Grammy Award-winning hip hop act, Naughty by Nature, two of the hottest West Coast hip hop acts – Billboard Hot 100 hip hop artist, YG and award-winning DJ and producer, DJ Mustard, the Philippines’ most celebrated rapper, Gloc-9 and Philippines’ hottest hip hop act, Abra.
Hosted by MTV Asia VJs Alan Wong and Hanli Hoefer, the free-entry music event is sponsored by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), supported the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), media partners WhenInManila.com, Circuit magazine and Play FM, and audio partner, Dolby.
“The Philippines has such a strong music influence and has become a popular entertainment destination. With a successful history of partnering with Tourism Boards around the world, we are naturally thrilled to be collaborating with the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippine Department of Tourism to bring MTV Music Evolution to our fans in the Philippines and around Asia,” said Mark Whitehead, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks Asia. “MTV produces the most talked about live performances and events, so fans can anticipate engaging youth experiences in the coming weeks to discover the evolution of the hip hop music genre, while celebrating all that Philippines has to present to the world. We can’t wait to share one of the biggest music events in Manila with the world on May 17th, which is testament to the localization we do in Asia.”
“We Filipinos like to entertain and perform for people. MTV Music Evolution will not only put the Philippines on the map of international music, but it will also serve as a global stage for the world to witness what Filipinos do best. The Philippines is a musically passionate country. And through our partnership with MTV, young people from around the world will now have the opportunity to share this passion and experience why and how the music culture is even more fun in the Philippines. This is, indeed, one of the exciting events to look forward to during our Visit the Philippines Year (VPY) 2015,” said Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. of the Philippine Department of Tourism.
MTV MUSIC EVOLUTION PROGRAMMING SPECIAL: MTV HIP HOP RAPRESENTZ
As part of the hip hop music celebration and lead-up to the event, MTV will be bringing viewers themed programming under the “MTV Hip Hop RAPresentz,” line-up featuring 30-minute artist specials consisting of music videos and live performances of the hottest regional and international hip-hop acts today, as well as the icons of the genre who helped to shape and transform hip-hop music over the years. These include Abra, AK-69, Eminem, Gloc-9, Iggy Azalea, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Missy Elliott, Naughty by Nature, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Zeebra and 2NE1. 30-minute specials featuring a mix of local and international hip hop music videos will be aired on MTV in the Philippines.
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About MTV
MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. Outside of the United States, MTV is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information about MTV in Asia, visitwww.mtvasia.com.
About The Philippine Department of Tourism
The Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) is the lead government agency in charge of developing the country’s tourism industry as a major socio-economic activity that generates employment, income, and investment for the benefit of the Filipino people. The agency is committed to adhere to the national development goals through the formulation of policies and implementation of plans and programs that intend to accelerate sustainable development, in addition to positioning the Philippines as a premiere and globally competitive tourist destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. For more information about The Philippine Department of Tourism, visitwww.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com
About Tourism Promotions Board Philippines
The Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (TPB PHL) is a corporate body attached to the Philippine Department of Tourism. It is tasked to formulate and implement an integrated domestic and international promotions and marketing program for Philippine tourism. It is responsible for marketing and promoting the Philippines domestically and internationally as a major global tourism destination. Specifically, it shall market the Philippines as a major convention destination in Asia, taking charge of attracting, promoting, facilitating, and servicing large-scale events, international fairs and conventions, sports competitions, expositions and the like. For more information about the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines, visit www.tpb.gov.ph