Viewers to Star in ChildLine's Sponsorship Spots on Interactive TV Series, "Dubplate Drama"

The third season of the pioneering hip-hop-themed multiplatform interactive TV drama series, "Dubplate Drama," which will begin airing on Channel 4, MTV Base and MySpace on June 9th, is offering its viewers a chance to appear on-air in bumper sponsorship spots for ChildLine, a 24-hour counseling line operated by UK children's charity, the NSPCC. A competition, entitled "Spit It Out," that is running on the youth-oriented show's MySpace page from April 6th through May 22nd, invites viewers to upload video clips of themselves "spitting" original lyrics on issues of importance to them. A group of finalists will then be chosen by visitors to the MySpace page, and four winners will be selected by a panel of judges. The winners' performances will then be re-shot at MTV's London studios for broadcast in "Dubplate Drama's" bumper spots. ChildLine's campaign, which will also feature similar sponsorship spots from UK hip-hop celebrities, is intended to convey the message that the service is interested in issues that are important to young people and that it believes talking about one's problems is an important step towards solving them.

"Dubplate Drama," which first aired in 2005 and which was developed by youth marketing agency, Livity, presents viewers with a choice of outcomes at the end of each episode. Viewers then vote on MySpace to determine which path the show's storyline will follow.