| 1988 MTV Video Music Awards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | September 7, 1988 |
| Location | Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles |
| Country | United States |
| Hosted by | Arsenio Hall |
| Most awards | INXS (5) |
| Most nominations | INXS (9) |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | MTV |
| Produced by | Dick Clark Tom Freston |
| Directed by | Bruce Gowers |
The 1988 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 7, 1988, from the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.[1] Hosted by Arsenio Hall,[1] the show honored the best music videos released between May 2, 1987 and April 1, 1988.[2]
Australian rock band INXS was both the most-nominated and most-awarded artist at the show, winning five of their nine nominations, including the awards for Video of the Year and Viewer's Choice for "Need You Tonight/Mediate".[2] This marked the first of a few instances in VMA history where the same artist and music video won both awards at the same ceremony. Other artists with multiple nominations included George Harrison and U2, who earned eight each.
The category for Best Overall Performance in a Video was eliminated from the award lineup while the category for Most Experimental Video was renamed to "Breakthrough Video", a name it would keep until the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, after which it was also removed from the lineup.
- ^ a b Willman, Chris (September 9, 1988). "COMMENTARY : There's Nothing Hip About Snooze-Inducing MTV Show". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
- ^ a b "INXS Rocks Off With 5 Video Awards". Los Angeles Times. September 9, 1988. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2022.