Columbia TriStar Interactive Embraces Viral Marketing Technologies to Drive Online Awareness for Television and Film Properties.LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 20, 1999-- Strategic Partnership with ThingWorld.com Results in Initial Launch of SPE SPE - Software Practice and Experience ! Things Network, Including Collectible Things from Dawson's Creek Dawson's Creek is an American primetime television drama which aired from January 20, 1998, to May 14, 2003, on The WB Television Network. The lead production company was Sony Pictures Television. and Muppets from Space Columbia TriStar Interactive (CTI (Computer Telephone Integration) Combining data with voice systems in order to enhance telephone services. For example, automatic number identification (ANI) allows a caller's records to be retrieved from the database while the call is routed to the appropriate party. ) and ThingWorld.com, an Internet media company, today announced that they have formed a strategic partnership to integrate ThingWorld.com technologies throughout key Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) online brands. As part of the agreement, CTI and ThingWorld.com will work together to manage and widely distribute content from various CTI film and TV properties to the studio's online audience. Using ThingWorld.com technologies, CTI embraces fan activity and excitement by offering premium interactive content (Things) for use on Web pages and desktops. With Things -- collectible, interactive multimedia -- CTI creates and distributes exciting and engaging content that contains direct links ("click-backs") to a specific content, promotion or merchandise offering. Fans are attracted to the interactive branded content Branded Content, also known as Branded entertainment and Advertainment, is a relatively new form of advertising medium that blurs conventional distinctions between what constitutes advertising and what constitutes entertainment. , and save it for republishing on their home pages, download it "Download It" is Clea's debut single. It was released in the UK on September 22, 2003 and missed the top 20 charting at #21. The single had average promotion, being performed in shows like Top of the Pops. as a screensaver, or send it by email -- resulting in rapid, viral distribution of content. Each Thing is designed to drive awareness, merchandise sales or traffic, and contains built-in copyright and tamperproof tam·per·proof adj. Designed to prevent tampering or provide evidence of tampering: tamperproof aspirin containers. capabilities. "ThingWorld.com technologies are the answer for Hollywood content owners who have, since the boom of Web publishing Creating a Web site and placing it on the Web server. A Web site is a collection of HTML pages with the home page typically named INDEX.HTML. Web sites are designed using Web authoring software which provides a graphical layout capability or by hand coding in HTML or both. , sought a solution for controlling and distributing content online and on the desktop so its results in value: traffic, awareness and most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent" above all, most especially , commerce," said Steve Barlow, chairman and CTO (Chief Technical Officer) The executive responsible for the technical direction of an organization. See CIO and salary survey. of ThingWorld.com. "Until now, concerns of content protection and copyright took precedence with most content owners, and many refrained from proactively offering content for fans to freely take and reuse. With these concerns solved, content owners can easily leverage the activity of their fans by giving them content that drives value." The first phase of SPE! Things Network contains engaging content from the hit teen drama A teen drama is a television drama series that centers on teenage characters. The genre is relatively new, first appearing in the late 1980s. The shows are usually serial, starting when the characters are well into their teenage years (usually between 13 to 19 years of age) and if "Dawson's Creek" and the summer film "Muppets from Space." The area can be accessed from the front page of the SPE Web site (http://www.spe.sony.com), and from the official Dawson's Creek Web site (http://www.dawsonscreek.com) and the Muppets from Space Web site (http://www.muppetsfromspace.com). Things available for the taking includes interactive games and characters, streaming video A one-way video transmission over a data network. It is widely used on the Web as well as company networks to play video clips and video broadcasts. Computers in home networks stream video to digital media hubs connected to a home theater. players that offer "sneak peaks" and trailers from the shows and films, interactive screensavers and digital trading cards. "ThingWorld.com's technologies provide us with a viral marketing solution to help promote and publicize SPE's film and television properties on the Internet," said John Matra, Director of Business Affairs for Columbia TriStar Interactive. "At the same time, we are also concerned with protecting our intellectual property on the Internet. ThingWorld.com's technologies allow us to balance these competing interests and still meet the objectives of the studio. The distribution of branded Things gives our fan base the ability to place compelling and entertaining content on their own personal homepage or desktop, while still maintaining links back to our sites." In addition to being available on SPE properties, all content will be distributed through the ThingWorld.com Network, which consists of some of the Web's most highly trafficked portals and communities and receives over 57 million unique visitors a month. About Sony/Columbia TriStar Interactive Columbia TriStar Interactive is a leading producer and distributor of compelling online entertainment experiences based on original content and SonyPictures Entertainment branded properties. CTI's content is distinguished by its innovative design, message and technology as well as its broad based consumer appeal. Columbia TriStar is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Picture's global operations encompass motion picture production, television programming and syndication, home video acquisition and distribution, operation facilities, development of new entertainment technologies and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.spe.sony.com. About ThingWorld.com ThingWorld.com (www.thingworld.com) is an Internet media company that enables content owners to increase their customer base, drive traffic and build commerce through compelling digital content and unique Web technologies. Working with ThingWorld.com, leading entertainment, music, sports and consumer brand companies control and manage their intellectual property to maximize online commerce, membership, audiences and brand awareness. The ThingWorld.com Network aggregates content and syndicates it to the Web's top portals and communities bringing media to millions of online consumers, much like network television. Founded in 1996, ThingWorld.com was named Best Marketing Technology for 1999 by Adweek. Headquartered in Newton, MA, ThingWorld.com is part of CMGI's @Ventures portfolio of companies. In addition to CMGI CMGI Commonly Maintained Grounds Infrastructures CMGI College Marketing Group Information (Services) , other investors include BancBoston Capital, Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corp., NFL Quarterback Club NFL Quarterback Club is a Super Nintendo Entertainment System game to feature quarterbacks from the NFL. Troy Aikman and Warren Moon are two examples of what players can use during the game. , The Kraft Group, Venture Management and Wasserstein Adelson Ventures. |
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