The N's All-New Reality Series 'Queen Bees' to Feature iTV Voting and Polling Sponsored by Sour Patch Kids Exclusively in DISH Network Homes Nationwide NEW YORK, July 7
NEW YORK, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on its efforts to reinvent the
way audiences experience content and advertising, MTV Networks (MTVN), a unit
of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is partnering with Cadbury, the makers of Sour
Patch(R) Kids soft & chewy candy, and DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH)
to launch its first-ever advertiser-supported interactive television campaign.
iTV voting and polling presented by Cadbury's Sour Patch Kids will be enabled
during The N's all-new reality series, "Queen Bees," which premieres Friday,
July 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. The campaign will be available exclusively in
DISH Network(R) homes nationwide.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080707/NYM020 )
"We're working hard to reinvent commercial time as content time, and
interactive television is emerging as a strong tool for fostering engagement
with our audiences, while providing greater accountability to marketers," said
Hank Close, President, U.S. Ad Sales, MTVN. "This partnership signals that
we're open for business in iTV advertising, and we're excited to step into the
marketplace with great partners like DISH Network and Cadbury."
"By participating in this exciting and innovative opportunity, we're
taking our Sour Patch brand advertising to the next level," said Sebastian
Genesio, Sour Patch marketing director. "The content on Queen Bees is a
natural fit for Sour Patch and reinforces the brand's sour then sweet brand
equity in a target-right medium."
The "Queen Bees" campaign will give audiences the unique opportunity to
interact directly with television content during show time. Throughout the
show, viewers will be prompted with three different sets of questions and
results on the bottom third of their screens: "Fill in the Blank," "Sour or
Sweet" and "Star Chart Play Along." The questions will be presented before
commercial breaks and the voting results will appear immediately following the
commercial break, encouraging viewer retention throughout the pod. Sour Patch
Kids' branding will be incorporated throughout the iTV application.
Additionally, The N will weave Sour Patch Kids' product attributes into one
question each episode.
"Our audiences really respond to iTV and we've been out in front with our
distribution partners, putting our brands behind advancing this emerging
technology," said Denise Dahldorf, Executive Vice President, Content
Distribution and Marketing, MTVN. "DISH Network has been an industry leader
in iTV, and this partnership brings the power of our programming to their
innovative platform."
"For more than seven years, DISH Network has been a leader in iTV and we
are excited to continue our innovative work with MTV Networks and Cadbury to
build the next platform of interactivity between audience, programmer and
marketer," said Michael Kelly, Executive Vice President for DISH Network.
"'Queen Bees' unique application creates a new level of connectivity which
compliments the programming, pleases the viewer and provides valuable data for
the client."
"Queen Bees" is an ideal program for iTV, as 72 percent of reality TV
watchers demand content interaction, according to a Harris Interactive study
from February 2008. The eight-episode series takes a look at seven self-
centered, narcissistic "mean girls," who have been nominated by family and
friends in the hopes that they will better themselves from the inside out.
While the girls think they are competing to be the biggest diva in the house,
they quickly learn that they are there because people want them to change.
The "Queen Bees" campaign furthers MTVN's leadership in interactive
television. When the company first started iTV polling in September 2006 on
The N's "Degrassi: The Next Generation," there was a 30 to 40 percent viewer
participation rate, well above the industry average of 10 to 15 percent.
Spike TV's 5th Annual "Video Game Awards" received a 20 percent increase in
ratings when the program introduced iTV polling in December 2007. There was a
25 to 30 percent participation rate for the awards show and viewers spent an
average of 30 minutes with the application.
About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's
leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV
Networks, with more than 150 channels worldwide, owns and operates the
following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1,
mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, LOGO,
NOGGIN, THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV
NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks
of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust
consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive properties
worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television
services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication
deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.
About Cadbury North America
Headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, Cadbury North America is the
Canadian and U.S. combined business unit of Cadbury plc -- the world's top
confectionery company (and the only confectionery company with market leading
positions around the world in chewing gum, candy and chocolate categories).
In the United States, the brand portfolio of Cadbury includes some of the
best-loved confections in the US, including Trident(R), Dentyne(R), Halls(R),
Bubblicious(R), Sour Patch(R), Swedish Fish(R), Chiclets(R), Certs(R) and
Stride(R), The Ridiculously Long Lasting Gum(R) and Green & Black's(R) organic
chocolate. In the U.S., some Cadbury "firsts" include the first vanilla pellet
gum (Dentyne Ice(R) Vanilla Chill(R)), sugar free pellets with two contrasting
flavors in every pack (Trident Strawberry fusion flavor), easy close envelope
packaging, and the first center-filled pellet gum (Trident Splash(R)). Trident
(R)Tropical Twist(R) was one of the first fruit flavored gums to lead the gum
category. Green & Black's organic chocolate is one of the best selling
chocolates in the natural food channel. Our people create brands people love
with passion, dedication and drive
About DISH Network Corporation
DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), the nation's third largest pay-TV
provider and the leader in digital television, provides more than 13.815
million satellite TV customers with industry-leading customer satisfaction
which has surpassed major cable TV providers for eight consecutive years. DISH
Network also provides customers with award-winning HD and DVR technology
including the ViP722(TM) HD DVR, which received the Editors' Choice awards
from both CNET and PC Magazine. In addition, subscribers enjoy access to
hundreds of video and audio channels, the most International channels in the
U.S., industry-leading Interactive TV applications, Latino programming, and
the best sports and movies in HD. DISH Network offers a variety of package and
price options including the lowest all-digital price in America, the DishDVR
Advantage Package, high-speed Internet service, and a free upgrade to the best
HD DVR in the industry. DISH Network is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX)
and is a Fortune 300 company. Visit www.dishnetwork.com/aboutus or call
1-800-333-DISH (3474) for more information.
SOURCE MTV Networks
