Washington, D.C. (September 24, 2007) -- MHD, MTV's High-Definition channel, last week abruptly cancelled an encore broadcast of Britney Spears' musical meltdown at the 2007 Video Music Awards.

However, the network denies that the singer pressured it to drop the show from its scheduled time, which was Saturday (September 22) at 9 p.m. ET.

The MHD broadcast would have been the first time that MTV had repeated the September 9 VMAs, which opened with Spears' controversial and lackluster performance of her new single, Gimme More.

On Saturday night, MTV replaced the 3-hour VMAs with a 90-minute VMA "Best Of" show, which included extended performances from the program. However, the "Best Of" performances did not include Spears' opening number.

Asked today if Spears pressured the network to not repeat her performance on any MTV channel, Mariana Agathoklis, a MTV spokeswoman, said: "No, not that I'm aware of. It was just a last minute scheduling change."

But she added that MTV now has no plans to air the 3-hour VMAs on MHD or any other channel owned by MTV Networks.

"It was a one-time deal," she said.


Britney Spears at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.

The 2007 VMAs aired on September 9 on the standard-definition MTV with artists such as Kanye West and Justin Timberlake performing live. But Spears' opening number was the talk of the nation with the singer appearing overweight and glassy-eyed as she walked around the stage.

West and other musicians criticized MTV after the event, saying they exploited Spears for ratings. West said the network knew that Spears was not ready to perform.

Agathoklis said MTV last week decided to replace the VMAs on MHD with the "Best Of" program because its musical content worked better for MHD.

Asked why Spears' song did not make the "Best Of" cut, the network issued a statement: "The “Best of VMAs” remix showcased a selection of the performances that aired during the live broadcast, as well as extended and unaired performances from the Fantasy Suites and from VMA Weekend and the VMA pre-show.  With over 40 amazing performances to choose from and based on viewer and critical reaction, Britney Spears' performance did not make the list."

Despite the departure from the TV schedule, the 2007 VMAs are still available at MTV.com, according to Agathoklis.

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