The show took place at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, and, unlike in previous years, had no host.

MTV announced on April 16 that the 2004 Video Music Awards would be held on August 29 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

[1] The move to Miami was partially caused by a date conflict with the 2004 Republican National Convention, which was held from August 30 to September 2 in the VMAs' traditional location of New York City.

Hosted by Kurt Loder and SuChin Pak with reports from John Norris, Sway, and Gideon Yago, the broadcast featured red carpet interviews.

[5] The broadcast marked the first time that MTV used a tape delay for the VMAs, which indirectly resulted from the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy.