Lagos — The long-anticipated 24-hour music channel MTV base went live on air at 20:00 Central African Time (CAT) Tuesday, February 22, 2005 providing young Africans their own bespoke MTV channel for the first time, and linking African viewers to MTV's global network of music channels.

The 24-hour English-language channel, MTV base was been launched with the expectation to provide unique, flexible marketing solutions for advertisers targeting African youth. " Our strength is that, at launch, MTV base was estimated to reach approximately 1.3 million households in Africa via cable, satellite and MMDS distribution via multi-channel operators DStv, Trend TV, CTL and FSTV", says Alex Okosi, General Manager, MTV Networks Africa.

MTV base, is MTV's first pan-African music channel and MTV Networks' 100th television channel worldwide uniquely crafted and programmed to appeal to young African viewer aged 12-34, satisfying their immense appetite for high quality music content that transcends national borders.

To herald this launch, Brent Hansen, President, MTV Networks Europe & President, Creative, MTV Networks International and Alex Okosi, General Manager, MTV Networks Africa, had hosted an exclusive members of the media, marketing and music communities of Nigeria to the preview of MTV's new pan-African music television channel, MTV base. Hansen and Okosi were joined at a reception at the Eko Hotel & Apartments, Lagos by popular Nigerian star 2 FACE alongside South Africa's Lebo Mathosa, supported by Nokia, a world-leader in mobile communications. This makes Nokia, one of the first brands to associate with the MTV base brand, with an innovative marketing partnership aimed at connecting people to each other.

Speaking at the preview, Brent Hansen said "the launch of MTV base - a bespoke music channel for African viewers in Africa - marks the realisation of a long-held dream for MTV. The concept of a dedicated MTV service for Africa has been more than 10 years in the making and is long overdue. With MTV base, we can finally look forward to providing young Africans with the music they love - showcasing the rich variety of African music and artists alongside top international talent, in a way that addresses the tastes and needs of African music fans."

Alex Okosi said "Like other MTV channels around the world, MTV base is designed to connect with the youth audience in Africa through a powerful mix of music-based programming and events found nowhere else. MTV base will offer an unequalled platform for promoting Africa artists, while providing advertisers with a uniquely flexible marketing vehicle for reaching young adults."

The 24-hour music channel, is expected to broadcast music genres and artists from across the whole African continent, as well as artists from around the world, in a unique editorial mix aimed at providing equal exposure for grassroots' African and international music talent. The channel's music policy will focus on playing the biggest international and local hits, with an emphasis on new and upcoming artists. At launch, around 30 percent of music content will be sourced from Africa, with the intention to grow this significantly as the channel develops.

The channel's music playlist will have videos from African artists, such as Femi Kuti (Nigeria), Magic System (Ivory Coast), SSP (Angola), Nameless (Kenya), VIP (Ghana), Zamajobe (South Africa) and Angelique Kidjo (Benin), while a regular weekly music documentary series, MTV base Spotlight, will focus on hot and emerging artists from around the sub-continent, using candid footage and interviews with artists such 2 FACE and Lebo Mathosa. The channel has also appointed a continent-wide network of talent scouts to comb the African continent with the aim of finding and fostering new and emerging musicians and genres.