rain

New York, NY (January 31, 2006) – MTV World today announced plans to produce an exclusive live performance special featuring Korean pop superstar Rain on Friday, February 3 at MTV’s Studios in Times Square. “MTV Presents: Rain – Live In New York” will provide the explosive superstar his first US opportunity to perform for and meet with his fans up close and personal, and the production also marks the first live music production for MTV World. MTV World operates television networks designed to super-serve ethnic populations in the United States, with Chinese-American focused MTV Chi and South-Asian-centric MTV Desi available on DIRECTV and MTV K, a 24-hour music channel catering to Korean-Americans, scheduled to launch later this year.

MTV News’ SuChin Pak will host the special, talking to Rain about his music, his rising star throughout Asia, his plans to break in the United States and offering fans the chance to ask questions during the special. Rain and his four dancers will perform exclusively for MTV World’s cameras, and meet his fans in the studio audience during a question and answer period. “MTV Presents: Rain — Live in New York” will air live on 44 ½, the world’s largest HDTV screen located across the street from MTV’s studios in New York City’s Times Square, from 2:00pm to 3:30pm (ET), on MTV K during its launch week and on MTV Chi in March.

“Having an artist like Rain perform in an exclusive setting such as this marks an important milestone for MTV World,” said Nusrat Durrani, Sr. Vice President and General Manager, MTV World. “Not only does it allow us unfettered access to one of the fasting rising stars on the planet, but it also furthers our commitment to breaking artists for US audiences.”

Pop impresario and label manager J.Y. Park in conjunction with Dreamville Entertainment and Rainstone Live are bringing Rain – also known to his fans as ‘Bi’, which means ‘rain’ in Korean — to America for two concert dates at Madison Square Garden. The record label JYP has granted MTV World exclusive and unparalleled access to the artist, as MTV crews follow him as he prepares for one of the biggest performances of his life. During the shoot of “Hangin’ With Rain,” MTV will be behind the scenes and with Rain every step of the way as he prepares for his Madison Square Garden concerts and MTV performance, allowing fans to see first hand preparation and motivations that drive the immensely successful artist. “Hangin’ With Rain” will also be showcased during the launch week of MTV K and will air on MTV Chi in March.

“It’s great to see an Asian superstar like Rain not only sell out two nights at Madison Square Garden, but also receive such a positive welcome from American media and the general public,” said Woo Seok Rhee, CEO of Rainstone Live, and concert and music production company focused on bringing Asian artists to the U.S.

Rain is a big favorite among MTV’s international audiences, having received the ‘triple crown’ of 2005 when he was awarded Best Korean Artist honors at all three Asian MTV award shows: the MTV Asia Awards, the MTV CCTV Mandarin Music Honors and the MTV Video Music Awards Japan. His most recent album, “It’s Raining,” has enjoyed success in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, having sold more than 1 million copies to date. He also stars in the Korean popular television drama “Full House” and was named Best Actor at the Korean Broadcasting System Awards.

Tickets to the exclusive live performance special “MTV Presents: Rain - Live In New York” are available on a limited basis on the MTV Chi website (www.mtvchi.com).

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 100 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services – MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 95 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.