Current TV is partnering on a user-generated content initiative with Flavorpill, a publisher of email newsletters that list music and arts events in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and other major cities. (Note: Current TV, which is targeted at the 18-34 demographic, is the brainchild of former US vice president, Al Gore, who serves as the chairman of its parent company, INdTV Holdings, and his business partner, Joel Hyatt, who serves as INdTV's CEO. It features short-form informational programs, dubbed "pods," around 30% of which are contributed by viewers via its Web site: Current terms this content "VC2" for "viewer-created content." The channel, which pays for all user-generated content that it airs, also invites its viewers to help determine its programming schedule by voting for video submissions on its site.) The partnership will see Current TV inviting Flavorpill's 500,000-odd subscribers to create videos and upload them to a special Flavorpill page on Current's Web site (www.current.tv/flavorpill), where they will be voted on by viewers: the most popular submissions will be aired on Current TV's linear channel, and their producers will receive Current's standard $500 fee. According to Current, the videos should be two to seven minutes long, and should focus on art and culture in one's local community: suggested topics include artist interviews, band profiles, "behind-the- scenes" reporting on Flavorpill-listed events, and emerging cultural movements. Flavorpill subscribers are also being invited to contribute 30-second videos shot on their mobile phones: according to Current, these mobile videos should "capture cultural events…as they unfold--be it killer graffiti art in the making or just a striking fashion statement." The partnership also sees Flavorpill offering a daily segment on Current TV, called "RADAR," which highlights events listings in New York, LA, San Francisco, Chicago and London.
Originally Published: November 6, 2006 in [itvt] Issue 7.03 Part 3
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