MTV ANNOUNCES HIT SERIES, "THE HILLS" WILL RETURN FOR THIRD SEASON
Most Watched Program Among Core P12-24 Across All of Television In Its Time Period Reaching 60 Million Viewers; mtv.com Delivers 18 Million Streams Throughout Season
Santa Monica, CA (April 5, 2007) - MTV today announced that it will bring back "The Hills" for a third season, following the success of season two, which was consistently the most watched program in its time period (Mon 10-10:30p) among P12-24 across all of television. In addition to captivating audiences on-air, the series resonated with viewers online at mtv.com, on the handset through MTV Mobile and in-world at Virtual Hills. Building on the success of "The Hills" season two, MTV announced that season three is slated to premiere in summer 2007. Additionally, the channel will bring back another season of the hugely successful "The Hills After Show."
In their quest to stay connected with Lauren, Whitney, Audrina and Heidi, viewers went online to mtv.com to view special made-for-web After Shows allowing viewers to go deeper with the show; they went to MTV Mobile to consume additional video clips, and they flocked to Virtual Hills to recreate their own drama and interact with cast members one-on-one.
"The success of 'The Hills' second season illustrates our strategy to engage viewers across all screens and to give fans the ability to stay connected to the cast and their stories when they want and where they want," said Lois Curren, President, Entertainment & Programming, MTV. "The approach we've taken with 'The Hills' re-affirms that our audience is embracing the touchpoints we've created for them to stay immersed in the shows they love."
The second season of "The Hills" was the most watched program in the time period (Mon 10-10:30p) among P12-24 across all of television, cable and broadcast. P18-24 posted growth of 25% from season to season, while season two was up by 6% among P12-34. Season two of "The Hills" reached 60 million viewers.
Throughout the season, mtv.com delivered nearly 18 million show-related streams, including nearly one million live After Show streams. The After Show points to MTV's ability to create unique experiences for viewers and to enhance their engagement on the web, offering a forum to interact and have live discussions with each other, as well as "The Hills" superfans who host the show. Virtual Hills, introduced at the beginning of season two, and its sister site Virtual Laguna Beach now boast nearly 625,000 registered users. Virtual Hills also is proving to be an incredibly engaging experience, with viewers on average spending about 37 minutes in-world per visit (in total, viewers have logged more than 83 million minutes in-world).
"The Hills" was created by Adam DiVello. Tony DiSanto, Liz Gateley, Adam DiVello and Sean Travis serve as Executive Producers.
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 130 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 200 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services. The network also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.
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