The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards could be one of the first ceremonies that will not be held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic.
During a press conference on Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the VMAs are to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with limited or no audience present on Sunday, Aug. 30.
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This would be the first time since 2013 that the VMAs were held at the Barclays Center, and the first event at the venue since the COVID-19 crisis.
“The 2020 MTV VMAs will be the first Barclays Center event since the COVID-19 pandemic reached New York,” said Oliver Weisberg, CEO of Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets. “We’re very excited to once again host this legendary night of music, and are especially proud of the impact it will have on our Brooklyn community through the creation of local jobs. We deeply appreciate the support and advice of state and local government officials, as well as our internal management and team of medical experts, all of whom have been working hard to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved, and we will continue to closely follow their guidance throughout every step of the planning process with our partners at ViacomCBS.”
MTV is also thrilled to have the VMAs in the Big Apple again. "We’re elated to bring the 2020 VMAs back to NYC, the cultural mecca of the world where music and entertainment are woven into the DNA,” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming and Events for ViacomCBS Media Networks.
In a press release for the awards show, both Barclays and MTV were adamant about the precautions being made to put on such an awards show amid a pandemic, noting that they "have aligned to include extensive social distancing procedures, meaningful capacity limitations, the virtualization of components where possible, and limited capacity or no audience."
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