Numbers for the MuchMusic Video Awards were up both on air and online following calls from a faux hacker for user-generated content.

In the months leading up to the MMVAs, the channel created a character named Phreak615, an underground pop-culture activist who ‘hacked’ into its primetime broadcasts. Phreak615 (615 being the date of the awards, June 15) encouraged fans to create their own videos and post them online so he could take clips and put them on the Much airwaves, including the live MMVA broadcast.

The stunt caught the attention of thousands of YouTube video-snackers and got some coverage in the mainstream media. Loads of videos popped up online and Phreak’s blog (phreak615.blogspot.com) raked in more than 20,000 visits. A quick Google search reveals nearly 5,000 results regarding Phreak615.

Did the buzz-building initiative pay off for MuchMusic? Well, the numbers are up for the awards.

Online activity at muchmusic.com saw a 46% increase, including: 150,000 unique visitors, over one million page views and more than 500,000 video streams of MMVA content.

The Sunday night show was number one in its 9 p.m. ET time-slot for 12-34s in Canada, with an average minute audience of 271,000, up 43% from last year. The red carpet special at 8 p.m. ET was up 45% in the same demo. It is the first year the event has been part of the CTVglobemedia family.

Encore presentations of the 2008 MMVAs are online at MuchAXS, available as a full-length broadcast or for selected performances, and will run this month and next on CTV, A, ASN and MusiquePlus.

From Media in Canada