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History.com Developing Digital Originals With Groundbreaking Military Blog and Short-Form Broadband Series
Band of Bloggers; Hero Ships; History Uncut; The Naked Underground and
Greatest Stories Never Told to Change the Face of The History Channel(R)
Website
ACQUIRES A COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARIES BASED ON GEORGE LUCAS'
THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES TO PREMIERE ONLINE
NEW YORK, April 30 -- History.com, the definitive online
historical resource, is bringing history into the digital age with the
launch of five original digital brands. They include exclusive short-form
original series, featuring rarely seen historical footage and a military
blog that will enable users to experience soldiers' stories directly from
the front-lines.
The History Channel has acquired the rights to a collection of 94
never- before-seen documentaries that are a companion to the critically
lauded The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones television movies. Created and
executive produced by George Lucas, the documentaries will premiere on
History.com in late 2007. The television movies will air on The History
Channel and History International.
The announcement was made today by Nancy Dubuc, Executive Vice
President and General Manager of The History Channel.
"There is no question that the industry has reached a new level in
terms of what digital multi-media can provide," said Dubuc. "Just as The
History Channel is where television audiences go when they want the best in
insightful and thought provoking programming, History.com is the number one
online destination for the history enthusiast. Technology is enabling us to
bridge the gap in how we interact with our audiences and is changing where
content is born. No matter what the platform, it is about enabling history
fans to experience great content any way they want it."
History.com will continue to extend further into the digital realm with
new features, ancillary sites and a great deal of user generated content.
In addition, historical perspectives on contemporary news will have a major
presence on History.com, separating it from the innumerable other sites
that display breaking news stories.
"These series are just the tip of the iceberg for History.com," said
Paul Jelinek, Senior Vice President, Digital Media, A&E Television
Networks. "News and information is being delivered faster and in more
formats than ever. It is our goal to make the website a must-visit for
consumers looking not only for history but also a place where they can find
historical context behind the news."
-- BAND OF BLOGGERS - The well-documented use of handheld video cameras
by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan has given us a perspective on war never
before seen in history. This destination will collect raw and riveting
"soldier generated content" from an ever-expanding band of military
bloggers who use the internet, digital cameras and cell phones to deliver
honest, powerful and uncensored news from the battlefield. Anchoring the
site will be daily video posts from dedicated bloggers offering exclusive
updates for History.com. In addition, BAND OF BLOGGERS will solicit
soldiers to post their own videos about their war experience. (3rd Quarter
2007)
-- YOUNG INDIANA JONES DOCUMENTARY COLLECTION - To complement the
fictional television movies, George Lucas oversaw the creation of 94
historically accurate half-hour documentaries. Years in the making, these
superbly-crafted, in-depth premieres cover a vast array of topics that will
help significantly diversify our broadband library. Each is based on events
that took place during the early part of the 20th century and provide
context to the fictional adventures of the Young Indiana Jones. Topics
range from The History of Slavery, What is Archaeology and The History of
the Ballet to biographies of Al Capone, Ernest Hemingway and Vlad the
Impaler. History.com will develop a rich media broadband site that will
feature the documentaries, along with other relevant content. They will
also air on History International and History Classroom. (4th Quarter 2007)
-- HERO SHIPS - Short form broadband series that brings to life
fascinating moments in a legendary ships' history. Veteran crew members
provide firsthand accounts of the dramatic episodes that have come to
define the legend of a particular vessel, from the USS Missouri to the USS
Omaha. (4th Quarter 2007)
-- HISTORY UNCUT - Moments of history are featured unedited and
unfiltered, just as the cameramen recorded them. This series will put the
spotlight on memorable events through time such as; the Wright Brothers'
first flight attempt; Einstein's first trip to the United States in 1931;
the scene after President Reagan was shot in 1981 by John Hinckley. (2nd
Quarter 2007)
-- THE NAKED UNDERGROUND - This exclusive broadband series is an
off-shoot of Cities of the Underworld, the new weekly series, which
premiered Monday, April 23 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on The History Channel. The
four to five minute short form pieces explore an urban myth linked to a
particular city. Some of the stories to be featured are a Roman myth that
links the word "testify" to a man's private parts, and in Edinburgh, it is
in dispute whether or not Braveheart was a real person. (2nd Quarter 2007)
-- GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD - The original short form series is
based on the Greatest Stories Never Told books by Rick Beyer. Every episode
tells a fascinating, little known story from history with a surprise twist.
From the world conqueror that died of a nosebleed to the development of the
pigeon guided missile to Annie Oakley's shot at stopping World War I, host
Timothy John Smith relates stories of the absurd. (4th Quarter 2007)
History.com is the definitive historical online resource that delivers
entertaining and informative content through interactive timelines; video;
maps; games; podcasts and RSS feeds. History.com delivers thousands of
video streams, from presidential speeches, to UFO sightings, to D-Day, the
award- winning site showcases newly created video clips daily. Web
exclusive broadband video content has been developed from popular series
and specials on The History Channel including Modern Marvels, Digging for
the Truth, and Lost Worlds. Searching through History.com provides access
to an extraordinary amount of historical information with unprecedented
speed. In addition, an online classroom supplies educational resources
including study guides and lesson plans for teachers. The website is
located at http://www.History.com/.
The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks
featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring
history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple
platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience
history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today
to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the
future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime
Emmy(R) Awards, ten News & Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the
prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic
preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than
91 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at http://www.History.com.
SOURCE The History Channel
http://www.History.com
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