When the Music Stopped

Unfortunately, the premium distribution model for MTV World proved more challenging than we anticipated in this competitive environment,” the network said in a press release, adding that it remained “steadfast in superserving multicultural youth.”

If you read between the lines, MTV no longer feels that spending extra to reach out to an underrepresented population is fiscally prudent, but it is more than willing to figure out new ways to commodify young South Asian Americans.

While MTV Desi employees insist that the channel is only on hiatus and that MTV World General Manager Nusrat Durrani is looking for ways to bring the channel back soon, it’s painfully obvious that MTV has pulled the plug on its failed attempt at multiculturalism.
With all the talk of MTV’s commitment to diverse markets, its unwillingness to include MTV Desi as part of its regular lineup of cable offerings (including MTV, VH1, BET and the now defunct MTV2) is likely more telling of its actual faith in the South Asian American community.

MTV is not the first network to try to capitalize on diverse and marginalized audiences. Comcast bought AZN and promptly dismantled the Asian American network’s programming, choosing instead to import shows and videos from Asia as a means of saving money.

To its credit, MTV tried to go with original programming; moreover, it generated interest among Desis by going to South Asian cultural and professional events throughout the country. Its marketing approach was typical MTV: making the content seem as if it were created by Desis for Desis.

In November, Business Week touted MTV’s innovative ethos, noting that “the company has fostered a culture of innovation, an open and active environment in which new ideas are encouraged from a variety of personalities and perspectives.” Other media sources hailed MTV Desi, which launched in 2005, as a bridge between South Asian American youth and their counterparts in the subcontinent.

MTV banked on the notion that young Desis, like many of their parents paying extra for Indian satellite channels, would fork over cash to subscribe to the channel as a premium service. Besides grossly overestimating Indian-Americans’ willingness to spend, MTV did not give them much reason to.

MTV Desi was a novel concept in its own right, a seemingly genuine effort to give South Asian American youth a venue to watch the blossoming of a second-generation identity. The channel became home to established Desi artists such as Karmacy, Chee Malabar, the1shanti and MC Kabir, while allowing young, driven and talented Indian-Americans to showcase their talents as hosts and producers.

But MTV failed to make Desi innovative, relying on imported music videos from India and shaping its content through assumptions about the diverse South Asian American community. As a result, MTV Desi’s programs seemed generalized and repetitive, a common complaint that many young African Americans have made about BET.

MTV relied on an alchemic mix of Hindi music and (mostly) hip-hop, alienating the sizable number of those who have no interest in either. In its attempt to break out of stereotypes, MTV bought into them.

Not every second-generation Desi listens to bhangra, understands Hindi or is enamored with Bollywood culture. Many continue to be outsiders in their communities, looking instead for something that speaks to their struggle to negotiate two identities.

The music network’s Bollywood-infused programming also seemed superfluous in media markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia, where second-generation South Asians already have ample access to Bollywood movies and music videos.

MTV gave it “the old college try,” but its formula for success proved formulaic in less than two years. Instead of providing Desi at no extra charge, MTV made its commercialized and conformed content relatively inaccessible to most second generation viewers.

While MTV Desi fans might share its employees’ optimism about a future return to the airwaves, it is far more likely that its demise will be a caveat to other companies looking to tap into the growing South Asian American market. In its futile – and somewhat constrained – attempt to reach out to a diverse community, MTV forgot to heed the golden rule in media: know your audience.