MTV Asia widens potential viewership

Music channel MTV Asia is claiming a 60 per cent increase in the number of homes able to see its service over the past 12 months, while ESPN Star Sports says it has secured exclusive cable and satellite rights for December's Asian Games.

MTV Networks Asia president Frank Brown said that by June, 90 million homes in the region could see the channel in some form, up from 57 million 12 months earlier.

About 70 per cent of these homes watch MTV in programming blocks of varying lengths, or around the clock. The rest see it through individual syndication packages.

An important part of MTV's revenue stream is through selling commercials, making it important for potential viewership to be as wide as possible.

More than 100 hours of the Asian Games will be transmitted live on Star Sports' North Asia satellite feed - including Hong Kong - which can reach 43 million homes.

This will include seven hours coverage a day live or with a short delay of the most popular sports, with a 90-minute daily highlights package.