BRAVO PARTNERS WITH FOUR LEADING DIGITAL CABLE OPERATORS BRINGING INTERACTIVE AD-SUPPORTED VOTING AND POLLING TO 'PROJECT RUNWAY'
Cox, Charter, Comcast and Time Warner Cable Team Up With Bravo For Industry First
NEW YORK - December 3, 2007 - Bravo today announced a partnership with Cox, Charter, Comcast and Time Warner Cable to bring ad-supported viewer interactivity to the fourth season of "Project Runway," marking a groundbreaking industry initiative that was previously limited to just one digital cable operator at a time. Now, four of the country's leading multi-platform distributors will offer the same ad-supported advanced advertising application across multiple markets, giving viewers in select cities the opportunity to respond to trivia questions and vote for their favorite "Project Runway" designs and contestants during the show using their digital cable set-top box remote controls. The interactivity is possible through the deployment of interactive television applications in conjunction with Navic Networks' technology.
"NBC Universal is committed to putting technology and resources towards advanced advertising partnerships between our networks and our partners in multiple markets," said Brian Hunt, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales Strategy, NBC Universal TV Networks Distribution. "We're excited to offer our advertisers a national footprint opportunity as interactive television applications are implemented in an open standards format."
The interactive overlays during "Project Runway," sponsored exclusively by Brother International Corporation, provide a measurable in-program opportunity for the advertiser. Brother is the official sewing company of "Project Runway" season four.
"It's natural for viewers to interact with their TV's using their remote controls and we're confident this application and timely deal will engage even more viewers and continue to grow the series' loyal fan base," said Lisa Hsia, Senior Vice President, New Media, Bravo.
Throughout the fourth season of the hit series, trivia and polling overlays will appear seamlessly over the program. Using Navic Networks' technology, these overlays are synchronized to occur at precise content-relevant moments during the one-hour show, and the viewer's votes are compiled in real time and revealed during the show. The real time voting and polling will be available to Cox customers in Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego and Las Vegas; Charter customers in Los Angeles; Comcast customers in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach; and Time Warner Cable customers in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The fourth season of "Project Runway," set in the glamorous and rigorous world of New York's fashion industry, opens the door for fifteen budding designers to break into the fashion business. Each Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET/PT, contestants are whittled down to the finalists who will show their own line in front of an audience of fashion industry movers and shakers at New York Fashion Week. In what will prove to be the most exciting season yet, some of the biggest names in fashion, sports and design will guest star this season on the series. Host supermodel Heidi Klum heads a panel of industry luminaries, including judges Michael Kors, top women's and men's wear designer, and Nina Garcia, ELLE magazine's fashion director, as they decide who is "in" and who is "out." Tim Gunn, Chief Creative Officer, Liz Claiborne, Inc. will once again act as a mentor to the contestants as they navigate weekly fashion challenges.
About Bravo
Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBC cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information visit www.BravoTV.com.
About NBC Universal TV Networks Distribution
NBC Universal TV Networks Distribution, a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's preeminent media companies, drives the company's cable strategic development and growth including video-on-demand, pay-per-view, HDTV, TV EST (electronic sell-through), TV Wireless distribution and retransmission consent, and oversees the cable distribution, marketing and local ad sales of sixteen properties (Bravo, Chiller, CNBC, CNBC World, MSNBC, mun2, NBC Weather Plus, Oxygen, SCI FI, ShopNBC, Sleuth, Telemundo, Telemundo Puerto Rico, Universal HD, USA and the Olympics on cable).
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