On World AIDS Day, December 1, MTV will air a
90-minute commercial-free special featuring GRAMMY®-winning artist Alicia
Keys, multi-platinum acts Missy Elliott, Dave Matthews and many others to be
confirmed in the coming weeks.
The concerts will take place in Cape Town, South
Africa and Seattle, Washington and will be edited together to produce a special
on HIV/AIDS awareness. This partnership consists of MTV, the Levi’s brand,
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Charitable Foundation,
Population Services International’s YouthAIDS and UNAIDS (the Joint Nations
Program on HIV/AIDS).
The concert special, as well as additional HIV/AIDS
awareness programming, is being offered rights free to broadcasters around the
world to get positive health messages out to the widest audience possible. By
doing this, the sponsors are estimating that the concert has a potential to
be seen by more than two billion people.
In a statement issued to AllHipHop.com, President
of MTV Networks International and Ambassador of UNAIDS, Bill Roedy said, “By
hosting these historic concerts in Cape Town and Seattle, which will feature
diverse local and international artists, we hope to unite young people across
the globe and actively engage them in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”