--Announces Plans to Create 10 Original "Webisodes" of "The Office"
--Announces Plans for Interactive Reality TV Series, "Treasure Hunters"
NBC Universal has formed a partnership with Microsoft, that gives the latter's MSN Video service the exclusive rights to stream the first two episodes of the new NBC drama series, "Heist," for one week after each episode's broadcast premiere (March 22nd and March 29th respectively). The partnership also gave MSN Video the exclusive rights to stream a 16-minute special presentation of the show's first episode that was available from March 14th through the episode's broadcast premiere: "This relationship with Microsoft allows us to further enhance our marketing opportunities to draw attention to our shows from increasingly popular sites and formats," John Miller, chief marketing officer for the NBC Universal Television Group, said in a prepared statement. "It's a perfect marriage of technology and content, and we believe it is also tailor-made to reach out to the target demographic for this hot new series." The partnership also sees MSN.com promoting the new show via a photo gallery, advertising on its video homepage and elsewhere, and top billing on its TV and entertainment home pages.
In other NBC news:
- The broadcaster has announced plans to offer 10 original "webisodes" of its primetime comedy, "The Office" (note: the latter is based on the UK original, which was devised and written by Ricky Gervais), on NBC.com this summer. The webisodes will feature three secondary characters from the show--Dunder Mifflin paper company accountants, Angela, Kevin and Oscar--in a whodunit, in which they attempt to determine who has stolen $3,000 from the company's Scranton, Pennsylvania office.
- The broadcaster has announced plans to air an interactive reality TV series this summer, called "Treasure Hunters." The show itself will feature teams of competitors, attempting to find a hidden treasure by solving a series of clues based on folklore, fantasy and history. The show's interactive element will consist of an SMS-based game, in which viewers will be sent two SMS questions during each episode; if they text in correct answers, they will then receive a code word which will allow them to solve two challenges on NBC's Web site. Then, with a set of "coordinates" they receive, they will have to locate a tool, related to that week's episode, which will be used to complete a flash game. Once they have completed the game, viewers will receive one of nine "special clues" that will lead them one step closer to a hidden treasure. At the end of the series, viewers will be invited to assemble all nine clues to solve a puzzle: the first 10 viewers who "answer correctly and quickly" will then compete live online to "find their own real hidden treasure," NBC says. Viewers will also be able to play a version of the game on NBC's Web site.
and the
http://blog.itvt.com/my_weblog/2006/01/_announcing_the.html
Click http://www.itvt.com to subscribe to our free email newsletter, which contains all the news stories you see on this Web site, and additional breaking news and scoops, in-depth features, interviews, screenshots, videos, and other exclusive content you will not find anywhere else.
