Mumbai: MTV Networks International has announced that the city of Berlin, Germany, will host the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards. This is the fourth time that the Awards will be held in Germany as it returns to the original city where it was launched in 1994 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
"The inaugural MTV Europe Music Awards took place in Berlin in 1994 and we are proud to be invited to return as part of the city’s twentieth anniversary celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall," commented MTV Networks International senior vice president content & music and executive producer Richard Godfrey. "Not only will we be returning to the site of the very first MTV Europe Music Awards — in front of the Brandenburg Gate — but also taking advantage of Berlin’s newest addition to the live music scene, the O2 World Arena."
The 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards will be held in front of the Brandenburg Gate as well as at the O2 World Arena in Berlin. This state-of-the-art, 17,000 seat, multi-purpose venue opened in September
2008, and is one of the most modern multifunction arenas in the world. "We’ve very happy to welcome the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards to Berlin and the O2 World," comments Anschutz Entertainment Group CEO Detlef Kornett. "We are proud to be able to provide the perfect stage for the best national and international talent of the music industry and we are looking forward to a spectacular show."
"We are very excited that the MTV Europe Music Awards are returning to the city that has been home to MTV Networks in Germany for almost five years now. We consider ourselves very lucky to be able to live and work in one of the most popular capitals in the world," added MTV Networks Germany MD Dan Ligtvoet. "Berlin has an immensely rich history and has been the backdrop to fundamental historic events like the fall of the Wall 20 years ago. At the same time it harbours a diverse contemporary cultural scene which will make the MTV Europe Music Awards experience in 2009 an unforgettable one."
"Berlin is proud to be hosting the MTV Europe Music Awards next year. Once again, MTV has chosen Berlin, this time during the year we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall," commented Mayor of the City of Berlin Klaus Wowereit. "This event is a huge gain for the city, and we are looking forward to welcoming many international stars to Berlin. MTV’s choice of Berlin to host the MTV Europe Music Awards for the second time since 1994 is a strong statement of support for Berlin as a creative sector and media industry location!"
The 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards — which will be broadcast live across all platforms on 5 November 2009 — is one of the most prestigious live music events. The 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards in
Liverpool — European Capital of Culture — was broadcast in over 40 countries and featured performances by artists including Beyonce, P!nk, The Killers, Estelle, Kanye West and Kid Rock. Additionally MTV underlined its commitment to multi-platform content with a live webcast hosted by Perez Hilton.
Sony Ericsson is one of the pan-European partners of the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards. Sony Ericsson and MTV Networks International renewed the multi-platform, multi-territory partnership in 2008 and had previously partnered with MTV for the Awards in 2006 (Copenhagen) and 2007 (Munich).
In 2008 Sony Ericsson launched a unique and original audience activation campaign — the Sony Ericsson FanWalk — which had 100 diehard music fans from across Europe walk from London to Liverpool to express their passion for music. During the course of the FanWalk, the participants undertook a series of challenges to find one lucky FanWalker who presented an MTV award on the night of the show.
MTV Networks International chairman and CEO Bill Roedy concluded, "MTV has always had a very strong connection with the city of Berlin. Not only were we there in East Berlin when the Wall came down, but five years later we inaugurated the very first MTV Europe Music Awards at the Brandenburg Gate which not only celebrated the unification of Germany but also heralded a new age across Europe. And now exactly 20 years after the fall, we are returning to Berlin to help the city celebrate that momentous event and to recognise Berlin’s position as one of the most vibrant, inspiring and influential cities in the world."
