Endemol runs video channel on Independent site
- Added:
- Apr 17, 2009
Video on-demand media firm The Web TV Enterprise has partnered with production company Endemol UK to create an exclusive new video channel on The Independent’s website.
The channel will be hosting Endemol’s digital series ‘The Gap Year,’ which was produced with and featured on social networking site Bebo.
‘The Gap Year’ is a multiplatform digital series following six student travellers on a globe-trotting journey facing challenges, experiencing new cultures and meeting local celebrities.
Series one was documented on Bebo via video diaries, blogs and photographs, and will now run on The Independent’s video channel as part of the online student section.
The Web TV Enterprise will be responsible for lining up complementary brand sponsors to support The Independent vodcast. Brands will receive in-paper promotional branding, on-site exposure and pre-roll ads around the content.
“It is key that Independent.co.uk continues to seek content that is relevant to its audience,” said Bill Swanson, Managing Director of Independent.co.uk. “The brand fit is fantastic, while the content will provide a regular destination for our users.”
The series will run from June until August as part of the lead up to the university ‘clearing’ process; the busiest time for The Independent’s student section. The series will be promoted across all sections of the website and in the newspaper, allowing the content to also be used as a travel guide.
Endemol created ‘The Gap Year’ specifically for Bebo to offer a fully interactive online video entertainment experience. Contestants were selected from the Bebo community to represent the UK, Ireland, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Viewers were able to vote in weekly polls to make decisions about the group’s journey.
”We are delighted that The Independent will be carrying the first series of The Gap Year,” said Peter Cowley, Managing Director of Digital Media at Endemol. “We are very proud of the success the sh ow garnered on Bebo and the extensive catalogue of travel content it created that deserves a wider audience.”
“The Web TV Enterprise has brought The Gap Year to a whole new audience due to its partnership with The Independent,” said Jamie Estrin, MD of The Web TV Enterprise. “The Endemol series will complement existing online content on The Independent, which includes guidance and advice for students looking to find accommodation, research courses and plan a gap year. In my opinion, The Gap Year is one of the best examples of how compelling short-form content works best the web.”
The Independent’s website recorded over 10 million unique users in Jan 2009 (ABCe).
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