‘MTV 81’ Showcases Japan

MTV Asia is collaborating with Japanese advertising giant Dentsu to produce “MTV 81,” a new 30-minute program about Japanese popular music that will be broadcast beyond Japan.

The launch, which took place Oct. 20, was announced as the Tokyo International Film Festival last week.

“MTV 81” is “an introduction of the best of Japanese music, artists and culture to audiences around the world [and] an on-air extension of the existing digital platform,” according to a statement.

In conjunction, there is another MTV show, “Japan Hits,” that will feature “a weekly roundup of the best and latest music hits from Japan.”

Both shows are already slated to air on MTV China, MTV Taiwan, MTV Thailand and MTV Vietnam.

The plan is to eventually expand beyond Asia.

“MTV 81” was first developed as an English-language, advertiser-supported digital platform in late 2012.

A number of Japanese artists have seen their recognition factor improve in Asia as a result, leading to the on-air version.

The show featured news, interviews and exclusive live performances.

MTV also launched J-One, a new French channel dedicated to Asian pop culture centered on Japan, Oct. 4.

France is the biggest market for Japanese animation outside of Japan itself.