Sky challenges Emap and MTV with new interactive channels. (News).

Sky has both Emap Performance and MTV firmly in its sights as it prepares for the launch of its three music channels in two weeks' time.

The Murdoch-owned broadcaster's offering, which enables viewers to select videos from a pick list of 50 for each channel using text, telephone or the Sky Digital red button, appears to pose the strongest threat to Emap's video-based channels. However, it also significantly ups the ante in the broadcaster's ongoing: negotiations with Viacom to reduce the fees it pays to carry the MTV family of channels on its platform.

Sky's music television head Lester Mordue, says the new channels--Flaunt (aimed at 13- to 16-year-old girls), The Amp (25- to 29-year-old males) and Scuzz (15- to 19-year-old males)--are expected to increase the overall audience for music TV by attracting viewers from other lifestyle channels as well as rival music outlets.

However, he insists his channels, which will play around 12 videos per hour, with each promo interspersed with interstitials such as channel idents, cartoons, artist interviews or other short pieces of programming, will be different from what is currently on offer. "MTV is going with a lot of longer-form, half-hour shows than us and the other channels are back-to-back videos," he says.

Content partnerships are being secured with third parties including Xfm, which will provide content for The Amp. In addition to bringing the format of its Music:Response evening radio show to the TV screen six nights a week, the Capital-owned ...