MTV Private Screening Rooms Emerge in Taiwan
MTV包廂空間在台出現
Source: KTV and Youth Subculture Analysis: A Spatial Interpretation
From: Internet Sociology Communication Journal, Issue 41
Date: October 15, 2004Author: Tseng Chih-yen
In 1984, the first audiovisual center operating under the banner of “MTV” officially opened, primarily screening Western pop music videos. Beyond the main hall for open screenings, it introduced a novel design: private booths partitioned from each other — and subsequent “MTV” establishments mostly followed this layout (Chuang Hui-chiu, 1987). Because the enclosed booths offered privacy from outsiders, they became wildly popular among young men and women as the ideal spot for dates; at the height of the MTV boom, there were approximately 1,000 MTV venues across Taiwan (Ko Shu-lan, 1988). Later, with rising operating costs, pressure from video copyright issues, difficulty in finding overnight staff, and growing competition, MTV venues became increasingly unsustainable (China Times, October 2, 1990, p. 4). Many operators shut down, while a small number — after the rise of KTV as a leisure format — converted their existing booth facilities, successfully riding the KTV wave; the chain Cash Box KTV is one such example of a successful transformation.