Noting that the future of marketing entertainment to teens lies in social networking via the Internet and cell phones, MTV said Wednesday that it is pursuing a number of partnerships with technology-based companies to become a credible player in the rapidly emerging space. Todd Cunningham, senior vp brand strategy and planning, said MTV also is working to expand its gaming business with new alliances, and to launch its digital music download service to give marketers, advertisers and musicians "yet another through line straight to what they (teens) are all about without having to try to create that on their own." Speaking at the What Teens Want marketing conference sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter and its sister VNU publications Billboard, AdWeek, BrandWeek and MediaWeek, Cunningham said, "We think that blogging and social networking is really where the growth is coming in terms of the teen market in particular."

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