“I want my MTV” … Remember the famous line?  Well, it’s now reality for Desis in the US.  On July 12, MTV launched a channel with programming customized specifically for us --- yes, customized for South-Asians living in the United States.  “MTV Desi” is a 24-hour channel, geared to addressing the unique needs of a population influenced by both the American and the South-Asian cultures. 

The expectation is that MTV Desi will be a powerful cross-cultural bridge, providing a venue for us to stay informed…to keep a pulse on what’s “hot and happening” in the pop-culture world of South Asians.  If you haven’t heard of up-and-coming artists like Raghav and M.I.A. before, you now will.   “MTV Desi will be a platform for artists from these communities as well as those who want to reach it, and bring fresh new influences into the American pop-culture mainstream.  Young South-Asians in the US will finally be able to see themselves on television”, says Nusrat Durrani, GM/SVP, MTV World.  MTV Desi is the first MTV World channel to launch and MTV Networks anticipates launching MTV Chi (for young Chinese-Americans) and MTV K (for young Korean-Americans) later this year. 

Highlighted music-oriented shows include “The Mirror”, “Live From”, and “Maximum Party”.  MTV Desi will pepper its music-centric programming with shows like “Bollywood on Ice” (window into Bollywood), “Bakra” (the desi version of Ashton Kutcher’s Punked), CY vs. CY (hilarious program showcasing two of MTV India’s hottest VJs) and Roadies (MTV India’s popular reality series).  The channel will also spend some time exploring the cross-cultural issues facing Desis living in the United States.  “MTV Desi will be the pop culture destination for Desis and shine a light on the young South-Asian American experience,” continued Nusrat Durrani.  “The launch of this customized network … will create, for the first time, a window to the amazing creativity and passion of this culture for the rest of America.”

MTV Desi is currently available to subscribers of DIRECT TV.  The new channel comes as a free addition to subscribers of DIRECT TV’s HindiDirect programming package. 

MTV Desi is a historical development for MTV and the growing South Asian community in the United States.  MTV Desi’s influence on the younger South Asian population seems very promising and young Desis from Boston to San Diego and across the US can now say, “I want my MTV Desi”!!

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