United Arab Emirates — MTV is hoping hip-hop and reality television tailored and sanitized for a more conservative Middle East will draw young Arabs away from dozens of locally produced music video channels that already dominate the market.
MTV Arabia, which launched over the weekend, will feature 60 percent international music and 40 percent Arabic music, along with local adaptations of the channel's popular nonmusic shows.
But MTV, which is known for airing provocative videos featuring scantily clad women, says the Arab version of the pop-culture channel will show less bare skin and profanity.
The station launched at midnight Saturday, airing a pre-taped show featuring Grammy award-winning rapper and actor Ludacris, Senegalese-born soul superstar Akon, Lebanese rapper Karl Wolf and the Emirates underground hip-hop band Desert Heat.
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.
Confrontation (anonymous) says…
I can only imagine that listening to songs like the Ying Yang Twins' "Wait'll you see my d**k" will uplift the country to new highs. Maybe they can even watch reruns of America's Next Anorexic Model.
acg (anonymous) says…
MTV-dumbing down young america, one slacker loser at a time.
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
Don't go to pieces, folks! It'll probably be something nice and safe... kinda like this...
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/852037/...
beatrice (anonymous) says…
I Want My M(uslim) TV!
The_Original_Bob (anonymous) says…
Haven't we done enough damage in the Middle East already?
"The station launched at midnight Saturday, airing a pre-taped show featuring Grammy award-winning rapper and actor Ludacris, Senegalese-born soul superstar Akon, Lebanese rapper Karl Wolf and the Emirates underground hip-hop band Desert Heat."
That cracks me up. A Lebanese rapper whose name sounds like a German politician's and an underground hip hop band that has a name like any run of the mill generic American country/pop crap.
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…
But MTV, which is known for airing provocative videos featuring scantily clad women, says the Arab version of the pop-culture channel will show less bare
skin and profanity.
so, there'll be *less* that means still greater than zero? oh boy. this'll do more for terrorist recruiting than any OBL video on al-jazeera!
no market. the muslim men already have tapped into our porn, strippers, tittybars etc. remember, some of the sept 11 highjackers had been to a strip joint before going on thir final mission.