Audio Interview: MTV’s New User-Gen TV Service Flux

Ed’s Note: Peggy is our European contributing writer, covering mobile search & discovery, and conducting interviews for MocoNews.net. Below is her latest, also relevant to paidContent.org readers.
[by Peggy Anne Salz] Hot on the heels of its August 1 launch, I caught up with Matthew Kershaw, head of digital for MTV UK & Ireland, to talk about Flux, a new TV channel that allows members to upload their own content on to TV and ultimately control their own TV channel. This is a UK-only launch, with similar channels operating in couple of other countries in Europe.
So far, Kershaw reports “healthy numbers” and only a few glitches. To encourage self-expression MTV — together with DA Group — has created 3D avatars for Flux, giving members Manga-like digital identities on any screen. As Kershaw sees it, the avatars are a perfect fit with mobile — allowing more personalized messaging and providing the basis for merchandising to mobile communities. The push is likely to begin with selling screen savers and the like, but the end-game is to monetize the Flux community. “We also want to extend that private messaging system [with] a mobile option if someone wants to get messages on their phone rather than their PC.” It’s early days, but, as brands come on board, MTV will seek to make it possible for Flux members to interact with select brands. “No-one wants to be forced to have a big brand splashed all over their personal home page, it’s personal. But can we offer a system where we offer a selection of brands, and people can choose their brand.”
Community drive: Flux is more than a community; the metrics MTV gathers there will provide the basis for more personalized and targeted advertising and content-selling schemes. Segmentation data is the initial focus for MTV, and the next step is to drill down in the data to present users content suggestions based on profiles, preferences, etcâ