NewFronts 2013: Microsoft
Programming
Partnership with OneBeat: OneBeat is an electronic dance music-centric entertainment studio. Microsoft and OneBeat are developing a new app for Xbox Live that will feature original content and “immersive storytelling experiences,” allowing brands to connect with EDM fans and culture.
The LeBrons, Season 2: Co-executive produced by Believe Entertainment Group, LeBron James, and Maverick Carter, the animated series will launch on May 10 exclusively on Xbox Live and the MSN Video Hub. The first season generated more than 50 million views online in 2011. Microsoft says it will promote the series on both Xbox and the Bing Sports app on Windows 8. It is also currently at work on “new content that capitalizes on second screen experiences through Xbox SmartGlass, as well as other Microsoft consumer platforms.”
Years of Living Dangerously: Microsoft will serve as the digital partner for the new Showtime TV series, which deals with issues related to climate change and is produced by Joel Bach and David Gelber (Emmy-winning producers of 60 Minutes), James Cameron (Titanic), Jerry Weintraub (producer of the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy), and Arnold Schwarzenegger (you definitely know who this guy is). Microsoft will offer additional content across MSN, Xbox, and Windows 8 platforms. This includes exclusive video segments, celebrity interviews, and behind-the-scenes content.
Marketing, Promotions, and Distribution
“According to our recent Cross-Engagement Study, 82% of consumers studied like being able to combine different devices to enable efficiency,” said Scott Ferris, GM for the TV & Video Media Group at Microsoft Advertising.
MSN “StageDoor”: A new video hub on MSN that aggregates “brand-safe” content across a variety of topics and subject matters. The hub offers original and catalogued content targeted to nine different audiences, across multiple screens including the Xbox. Microsoft said for each channel, it is offering sponsorship opportunities that range from custom product placements to segment branding. Chrysler has already signed on to sponsor the Tuned In channel on StageDoor.
Trium, an independent production studio founded by Mark Koops (The Biggest Loser), Jared Tobman, and Eric Day, has inked a new distribution deal for the online reality competition showFace to Face. Starring Shape Magazine’s Executive Beauty Director Cheryl Kramer Kaye, Face to Face pits two make-up artists as they compete in a series of challenges for a chance to land a feature on the beauty magazine. It has been airing on MSN since April 3. Trium has now locked up a deal with American Media Inc. (AMI), the owner and operator of a bunch of celebrity, health, and fitness-related media brands, to syndicate all 24 episodes of Face to Face on Shape.com and AMI’s digital distribution network. The show airs every other Wednesday, with MSN having exclusive rights to new episodes for 60 days, after which they will roll out to AMI properties.
