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Plugged-in young Indian Americans, you need no longer snicker at the weepy satellite serials and homegrown Saturday morning shows that have served till now as your only link to Indian pop culture: "MTV Desi" is here.
On Dec. 14, MTV announced the launch of MTV Desi, a new channel catering to Indian Americans. The channel will feature some of the most popular MTV shows from India, along with local content such as Indian American VJs, music and live events, and will run 24 hours a day.
"We truly needed to launch a pop culture destination," Nusrat Durrani, general manager/senior vice president for MTV World, told India-West by phone from the channel's headquarters in New York.
"This is a moment in time for the desi community - a tipping point," he said.
MTV Desi is the first of three new ethnic initiatives planned by the channel - MTV China and MTV Korea will start airing here in 2005, with additional channels to follow.
"MTV offers incredibly diverse local programming around the world," Bill Roedy, president, MTV Networks International, said in a statement. "These new channels will use the best of this content to provide millions of young Americans with a connection to the youth culture of their countries of origin."
Although Durrani declined to state which shows from India would make it into the U.S. lineup, he said MTV Desi would air "the best of those Indian...