Next Xbox to premiere on MTV

First sight of console to broadcast on iconic US music TV station
By Cian Ginty: The unveiling of Microsoft’s second console is to happen first on MTV in North America on 12 May, and the next day to the rest of the world, not as first expected at Microsoft’s annual pre-E3 media event.

The move follows Sony’s plans to move their pre-E3 event to just hours before Microsoft’s press event.

The half-hour program, ‘MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed’, will broadcast on MTV UK & Ireland at 8pm on Friday 13 May. Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Woods, and indie band ‘the Killers’, will host the premiere, with other celebrities giving their opinion of the new system. Along with game footage, details of the future of Xbox Live will also be aired.

After the North America show, MTV.com will feature a behind-the-scenes video, photos, and other unspecified details. The site is also set to promote the console and its games on a longer base.

Talking about the program, Peter Moore, vice president of worldwide marketing and publishing for Xbox, said, “We are ecstatic about our alliance with MTV and unveiling a video game platform in a way that has never been done”.

The first sign that Microsoft was to break with the industry-norm of unveiling new consoles to the media and industry at or around the E3 Expo was the recently launched viral marketing website and game ‘Our Colony’, which is counting down to the date of the television program. Microsoft had a similar viral campaign for the launch of the Xbox game Halo 2.

Full dates and times: Thursday, May 12 - North America: 21:30 (EDT). Friday, May 13 - UK/Ireland: 20.00, France: 19:00, Portugal: 20:00,  Spain: 21:30, Netherlands: 19:30, Germany:  19:00, Italy: 23:30, Poland: 21:00, Romania: 20:00, Scandinavia: 22:00, Australia: 19:00, and Japan/Asia: 11:30.