Going Global (G): MTV India

Attracted to the large population and rising middle class, MTV sought to do in India what it had done in many countries before: customize its channel offerings to match the country’s culture, even if it meant devising a number of individual channels. This mini-case discusses the challenges that MTV undertook with this move: fierce competition for airtime, loyalty for local products, ineffectiveness of market segmentation, pirating and low cable subscription fees, etc. MTV still sees potential in this endeavor: It increased partnerships with advertisers and is now looking to diversify into the clothing and CD market, relying on the “hip” MTV image to carry it through. This case can be taught in conjunction with “Note on the Global Business Environment.”