MTV in the US has approved a whopping 20 new pilots for the 1998 season, marking the biggest development investment in the cabler's 16-year history. As part of MTV's end-of-year restructuring, executive vice president of programming Brian Graden has been looking for ways to free the channel from its 0.5 ratings blues.

"Revolutionising music videos" is one of Graden's goals, and several new pilots seek to meet this objective. "Artist's Cut" will have videos playing while a band member shares insights, and "Videographies" will explore the artists' histories and provide hard-to-find info. Also planned are a new talk show, as well as "Six Degrees of MTV," which will have viewers connecting musicians through personal and professional relationships.

http://www.mtv.com

(c) Reuters