Google (NSDQ: GOOG) owned social networking site Orkut, TV channel MTV India and telco Airtel have joined forces for a cross-media contest that allows users to bid to win a date with MTV VJs and three contestants selected by MTV. So what is each of them doing? Orkut is hosting profiles of contestants and MTV VJs, has also set up a ‘Bid A Date’ community, which currently has 8337 members. MTV is promoting the contest on TV, as well as on their website, here. Airtel is allowing users hear the “voice profiles” of the VJs or record a message for them at 543216, and collecting the bids: those bidding need to text the bid amount and the person they’re bidding for to 56882.

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What I don’t understand in this entire scheme of things is MTV India’s choice of tying up with Orkut; sure, Orkut is the biggest social network in India, but MTV appears to have given up the mantle of being the representative youth space: they have their own community, so why not use the contest to grow that? Recently, Zee TV also tied up with MIH (Naspers) owned ibibo for a budget related TV show. Like I said in my predictions for 2008, cross-media will be big this year.