SINGAPORE: Hot on the heels of a successful awards function for the Asian region, MTV has announced that Frank Brown will take over as the president of MTV Networks Asia Pacific. Brown will manage MTV Japan, MTV Australia and Nickelodeon Australia. This spells a shift in the day to day management from MTV International's headquarters in New York to the local regions.
 

As a member of the board of MTV Japan and Nickelodeon Australia, Brown will be looking at further developing business. Since 1997, when he was promoted to President MTV Asia, Brown has focussed on a localisation strategy. This has resulted in increased ratings and revenue. MTV developed eight music channels under his leadership which now reach 150 million households in Asia. In addition, Brown oversees MTV's online operations which include five websites across Asia.

MTV Japan launched a couple of years ago and is a JV between MTV and H&Q Asia Pacific. The network achieved 67 per cent growth in ad revenue last year. In Australia, MTV launched as a multi-year licensing agreement with OptusVision in 1997. Last December, the channel tripled its distribution by launching on the Foxtel platform.