Sponsorships For 'MTV Video Music Awards Latin America 2003' Sold Out

    MIAMI, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ --  MTV Networks Latin America announced
 today that it sold out its sponsorship availability for the second annual "MTV
 Video Music Awards Latin America."  For the second consecutive year top brands
 Coca-Cola, Visa International Latin America and Caribbean and Sony Ericsson
 Mobile Communications return as official panregional sponsors of the event.
 In addition, McDonald's and Panasonic also signed off this year as panregional
 sponsors of the show, while Yoplait and Sol will sponsor the Mexico
 transmission only.  Coca-Cola, a long time partner of the channel, will
 sponsor a contest that will bring Latin American winners and guests to
 experience the VMALA experience with all expenses paid.
     The second annual VMALA event will take place Thursday, October 23, 2003
 at the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach and will air live on MTV Latin
 America and MTV2 in the U.S. at 9:00 p.m. ET (8:00 p.m. Mexico, 10:00 p.m.
 Chile and Argentina).  Following its premiere, the event will air on MTV U.S.
 on Saturday, November 1st at 8 pm PT/ET and will be available to air on MTV's
 44 channels around the world throughout November.
     "The VMALAs has become a great opportunity for our advertising partners to
 connect directly with our audience throughout Latin America," said Melisa
 Quinoy, Senior Vice President, Ad Sales, MTV Networks Latin America.  "We're
 thrilled that our clients really appreciate the value of associating
 themselves with the MTV brand and this very special property."
     Coca-Cola's sponsorship will involve several elements including branding
 millions of Coke bottles and cans in Mexico with the VMALA logo.  In addition
 Coca-Cola will present the official contest and take its "Red Couch" promotion
 to this year's event.  The "Red Couch" is an important element of Coca-Cola's
 promotion strategy linked to entertainment events and giving consumers the
 chance to get "the best seat at the best events.
     To participate in the "MTV Video Music Awards Latin America" official
 contest, viewers only need to visit MTVla.com and register before October 6th,
 2003.  MTV and Coca-Cola will select 15 winners, 12 of whom will receive
 double round trips to Miami, hotel accommodations, a US$200.00 pre-paid Visa
 TravelMoney card and tickets to the show.  Three 1st prize winners of the
 MTV/Coca-Cola contest will get VIP treatment, tickets to the show, air
 transportation, first-class accommodations, limousine rides to and from the
 show, and a US $2,000.00 pre-paid Visa Travel Money card, among other perks.
     For the second year in a row, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, through
 agreements with local wireless carriers in Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru,
 has set up a process by which people can cast their votes for the categories
 of Best Alternative Artist, Best Group or Duo and Best New International
 Artist, by sending text messages through their cellular phones.  Sony Ericsson
 Mobile Communications will also provide T610 mobile phones (with an integrated
 camera, Quickshare, color screen, e-mail and games, etc.) to be included in
 performers and presenters' gift bags.  Sony Ericsson will again capture the
 red carpet action with one of their latest phones Series T610, with an
 integrated camera and Quickshare, posting the pictures at MTV's website
 MTVla.com.
     Visa International Latin America and Caribbean once again will provide
 pre-paid Visa TravelMoney cards worth US$2,000.00 to the top three winners,
 and US$200.00 ones for the rest of the VMALA contest winners.
     McDonald's sponsorship of the VMALAs marks the food company's first
 advertising partnership with MTV Latin America.  Yoplait and Sol will sponsor
 the show's Mexico transmission only.
     All "MTV Video Music Awards Latin America" sponsors will have presence in
 the show's tags, banners, on-air spots, and on the network's website
 MTVla.com.  Additionally, some of the sponsors will develop their own
 activities to promote their participation in the event.
     The second annual "MTV Video Music Awards Latin America" will broadcast
 live on October 23rd, from Miami Beach's Jackie Gleason Theater to all Latin
 America.  The show will showcase performances by Dido, Alejandro Sanz, Sum 41,
 La Ley, Natalia Lafourcade, Iggy Pop, Control Machete and The Mars Volta.
 Announced presenters include Chilean band Catupecu Machu, Diego Torres,
 Argentine sensation Miranda, Robbie Rosa, and ex-Fabulosos Cadillacs'
 Vicentico, with more to be announced shortly.
    Mexicans Cafe Tacuba, Natalia Lafourcade and Molotov, as well as Chilean
 band La Ley, top this year's nominations with five each, followed by Argentine
 Gustavo Cerati, Colombian Juanes, and Mexican band Mana with four and
 Vicentico with three nominations.
     Charlie Singer, SVP of Programming and Production, MTV Networks Latin
 America will executive produce. Audrey Morrissey (a veteran of many MTV
 productions and award shows, and producer of "Alejandro Sanz MTV Unplugged,"
 "La Ley MTV Unplugged" and last year's VMALAs) will serve as producer; Manny
 Rodriguez ("Alejandro Sanz MTV Unplugged," "La Ley MTV Unplugged") will direct
 and Jose Tillan, VP of Music and Artist Relations, MTV Networks Latin America
 will supervise the musical content of the show.
     MTV Latin America, a unit of MTV Networks Latin America, Inc., is a 24-
 hour Spanish-language cable television network that airs music programming to
 more than 13 million households in Spanish-speaking Latin America.  The
 network is delivered via satellite to cable, MMDS, UHF broadcast and direct-
 to-home viewers aged 12-34.  MTV Networks Latin America, Inc., a unit of
 Viacom International, owns and operates MTV Latin America and Nickelodeon
 Latin America, which have regional headquarters in Buenos Aires, Mexico City
 and Sao Paulo (for Nickelodeon only) and operating headquarters in Miami.
 
 

SOURCE  MTV Networks Latin America