VH1, MTV join user generated content trend

TalentLoad.tv is the first such site, which serves as a promotional tool for VH1 and MTV advertisers as well as a casting area for reality shows on the networks. In January, TalentLoad.tv launched with a contest to promote the upcoming movie, "Music and Lyrics" in February.

The contest allowed aspiring singer-songwriters to upload original songs. More than 400 aspiring stars uploaded their music; the site received more than 1 million hits. The winner will be chosen by online voters, flown to LA for the movie premiere and have their song professionally recorded.

The MTV/VH1 deal follows similar ViTrue deals with television brands like TBS, as well as social networking sites like Friendster and sports sites like the Cincinnati Bengals.

Demand for user-generated content is growing rapidly throughout the world. CBS recently used YouTube to promote user-generated Super Bowl commercials; McDonald's is running a similar campaign. Newspapers have also jumped on the UGC bandwagon and found that blogs are another way to boost penetration into their local markets. ViTrue founder and CEO Reggie Bradford said (via MediaPost), "We're seeing a major sprouting of these types of sites across all media companies, whether they're trying to find new comedians or bands or are getting consumers involved in programming," he said.

Tags: online video, social marketing, user-generated