The Mystery Of MTV’s “M” Continues

Yesterday we brought you the news that MTV is going to have an all-staff meeting regarding the true meaning of its “M,” since most of the people in its target demo were but twinkles in their moms’ ovaries when “Music Television” first launched. Since then, three theories have surged to the front in my thoughts about this exciting rebranding (maybe I should try taking up knitting again, so I can have something else to focus on in my alleged off-hours):

The Geek Play: “M” stands for something video-game related (NB: Every joke I tried to make involved a Sega Genesis reference, and that’s probably a little too old for the network’s intended crowd.) Reason for theory: From this morning’s Digital Music News: “MTV Networks is now pushing heavy dollars into upcoming gaming initiatives, according to information shared by executives Thursday.” Why it’s plausible: “The Viacom-owned company pointed to a $500 million, two-year campaign, one that would involve the development of gaming applications for a number of established properties.” Why it’s not: Reruns of Arrested Development and Cheaters aside, does the world really need another G4?

The Web 2.No Play: “M” stands for “My,” and MTV will try and get into the social-networking space. Reason for theory: A friend floated the idea to me last night, apparently around the time that Simon at No Rock And Roll Fun thought of the same idea. Why it’s plausible: MTV has been kind of desperate to “get” the Web ever since the days when Adam Curry owned the MTV.com domain, and gosh-darnit, this social-networking thing might just work. Why it’s not: There’s already a MyNetworkTV, although truth be told, the “who’s schtupping who” drama of The Real World would fit in quite well with the netlet’s low-rated, Bo Derek-starring telenovela adaptations. Did someone say merger?

The Painfully Obvious Play: “M” is for music, duh. Reason for theory: From a commenter who popped up yesterday: “Music: they are going to use a band to promote their reality slate each week.” Why it’s plausible: Since MTV has already started showing videos during its commercial breaks, it’s not too much of a stretch to think that they’ll just relegate music to the window-dressing Why it’s not: Why show programmed music in ad segments when you can just show lucrative ads for companies hawking Sean Kingston ringtones?