INDUSTRY CHATTER: Let the “interactive” music video...

INDUSTRY CHATTER: Let the “interactive” music video channel wars begin.

Just after Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and Tele Communication Inc. (TCI) announced plans for a mid-1994 launch of their joint-project interactive music video channel that, the companies claim, “will enable viewers to choose their favorite music videos while having the ability to purchase a wide array of music-related products,” MTV insiders are scrambling to let the world know that they also have an interactive channel in the planning stages.

Both ventures would provide the music world’s answer to the Home Shopping Network.

According to an MTV executive who asked to remain anonymous, the Viacom-owned music channel intends to use its “considerable creative in-house resources” and “cross-promotional clout” in rolling out its new “music and related products shopping channel.”

While no launch date has been officially set, the executive admitted the project has been in the development stages for “months and months” and probably would have remained a secret if the BMG/TCI announcement hadn’t made such a big splash in the media.