MTV Networks Africa (MTVNA) and Bharti Airtel have confirmed that they will be holding the 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) in Lagos, Nigeria. MTVNA’s jubilant celebration of contemporary African music and creativity will be held at the EKO EXPO Hall, Lagos on 11 December 2010, focusing the spotlight on Africa’s most outstanding musicians, from the heart of one of the continent’s most vibrant cities.
The 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel will take the form of a stunning live music event and global television spectacular, featuring performances from contemporary African and international music giants and hosted by a major music celebrity. Artists from around the continent will battle to win a coveted MAMA trophy in one of twelve award categories including: Best Male, Best Female, Best Video, Best Group, Artist of the Year, Best Lusophone Act, Best Anglophone Act, Best Francophone Act, Song of the Year, Brand: New Act, Best International Act and MAMA Legend.
Telecommunications giant Airtel comes on board as the headline sponsor of the MTV Africa Music Awards 2010, signalling the telco’s profound commitment to African music and youth culture following its purchase of Zain Africa’s business operations earlier this year. The sponsorship was announced by Andre Beyers, Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Africa and Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa.
Sponsorship of the MAMA will provide Airtel with unique brand exposure across multiple platforms including live event activations across the continent. A key component of the partnership will be the development of exclusive mobile and data content for the Airtel subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa including wallpapers and various downloads. The campaign will also be fully activated in the digital space with a bespoke mobi-site (mtvmama.mobi) and a dynamic website (www.mama.mtvbase.com). Multiple SMS voting and interactive mechanics will be integrated into the campaign, to provide Airtel customers with unique access to the MAMA initiative.
Commented Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Airtel to bring the MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel to Lagos for the first time and look forward to delivering the most exciting MAMA yet on 11 December.”
Said Mr. Beyers, “Airtel is proud to be at the forefront in nurturing talent in Africa and connecting the passions of millions of youth across the continent through music. Our support for the MAMA awards is founded on our commitment to empower the youth through initiatives that will help Africa to identify and celebrate talent.”
Conceived in 2008 as the ultimate celebration of African contemporary music talent, the MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel provides a major promotional platform for the African music industry, championing, supporting and empowering African talent by broadcasting their music around the world via MTV’s global multimedia network.
The awards celebrate contemporary African and international genres loved by the youth and young adults across sub-Saharan Africa including Hip Hop, Hip Life, R&B, Afro Pop, Afro House, Kwaito, Boomba, Bongo Flava, Coupé Décalé, Dancehall, Soul and Rock.
The inaugural MAMA was held at the Velodrome, Abuja in 2008, while October 2009 saw the awards move to Nairobi, Kenya, with performances from 2Face (Nigeria), Amani (Kenya), A.Y. (Tanzania), Blu3 (Uganda), Brickz (South Africa), Da LES (South Africa), D’Banj (Nigeria), Fally Ipupa (DRC), HHP (South Africa), Lizha James (Mozambique), M.I. (Nigeria), Mo’ Hits Allstars (Nigeria), Nameless (Kenya), Pype (Nigeria), Samini (Ghana), STL (Kenya), Lira (South Africa), Wahu (Kenya) and Zebra & Giraffe (South Africa), alongside international stars Wyclef Jean and Akon.
Past winners have included 2-FACE (Nigeria), Nameless (Kenya), Samini (Ghana), Wahu (Kenya), HHP (South Africa), D’Banj (Nigeria) and Patricke-Stevie Moungondo (Congo Brazzaville).
-ENDS-

Notes to Editors
The MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel is open to all soloists or groups who have received airplay on MTV base or MTV during the qualifying period (30 June 2009 to 31 August 2010) including artists from: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Comores, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, St Helena, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For further information please contact:

MTV Networks Africa
Alison Reid Nike Fagbule
Communications Director BHMG Ltd
Alison.reid@mtvne.com nike@bhmng.com
+33 385596771 +234 803 064 5200
Airtel Africa Airtel Nigeria
Michael Okwiri Emeka Oparah
Head of Corporate Communications Head of Corporate Communications
Airtel Africa Airtel Nigeria
Michael.okwiri@ke.zain.com Emeka.oparah@ng.zain.com
+254734111379 +2348022221120
About MTV Networks Africa
MTV Networks Africa is Africa’s leading provider of multi-platform music, youth and kids’ entertainment, reaching in excess of 90 million viewers via a combination of pay-TV, terrestrial and CATV distributors, including DStv, Daarsat, STV, DBN, TBC1, WBS and Clouds TV. MTV Networks Africa comprises four TV channels and two websites, representing MTV base, MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon across sub-Saharan Africa. MTV Networks Africa is part of MTVNI’s Emerging Markets Group, one of the fastest growing regions in the company’s portfolio of multi-platform businesses. The Emerging Markets Group manages 29 television channels, 30 websites, one video portal and four mobile TV channels encompassing the MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, VIVA and Comedy Central and COLORS brands in Central & Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East and India. Additionally, the Emerging Markets portfolio includes MTVNHD, MTVNI’s first international high definition channel dedicated to music and kids which is operated by the Emerging Markets Group of behalf of MTVNI. MTVNI is owned by Viacom Inc (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
About Bharti Airtel Limited
Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa. The company offers mobile voice & data services, fixed line, high speed broadband, IPTV, DTH, turnkey telecom solutions for enterprises and national & international long distance services to carriers. Bharti Airtel has been ranked among the six best performing technology companies in the world by BusinessWeek. Bharti Airtel had over 189 million customers across its operations at the end of June 2010. To know more visit www.airtel.in.