by Playfuls Staff |
15th March 2006
AOL and Warner Bros. are saying "Welcome Back" to thousands of classic TV shows with the launch of In2TV, the first broadband television network, on AOL.com. The network offers the largest collection of free on-demand TV shows on the Web, including [more] full episodes of favorite Warner Bros. programs from the past 40 years such as Welcome Back, Kotter, Chico & The Man, Alice, Growing Pains, Sisters, Kung Fu, Lois & Clark and many others, along with interactive features and viral videos that enable audiences to experience and interact with television programming in an entirely new way. To celebrate the launch, AOL and Warner Bros. will host an event tonight at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills, with stars from the In2TV programming lineup scheduled to make appearances.
Available exclusively through the AOL.com Web site (http://www.aol.com/in2tv), the In2TV service lets fans watch hundreds of episodes from dozens of shows every month, along with quizzes, puzzles, photo galleries and polls tied to the various shows. The shows are organized into six genre-themed channels (with two more to launch this summer), including:
*LOL TV : Laugh Out Loud with everyone’s favorite comedies from Welcome Back, Kotter which made a household name out of John Travolta to the slapstick antics of Cousin Balkai and Larry in Perfect Strangers as well as the Emmy-winning Chico and the Man, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper and Head of the Class.
*Dramarama TV (TM): Fans will enjoy the unaired “lost” pilot of juicy soap Falcon Crest and all the drama of five-time Emmy nominated Sisters, plus there’s Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Spenser: For Hire and the family favorite Eight Is Enough.
*Toon Topia TV (TM): Kids and adults alike will flock to animated fare such as Beetlejuice, Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky and the Brain and Freakazoid, The New Adventures of Batman, and Histeria!
*Heroes and Horrors TV (TM) : Sci-Fi and Horror come together in heroic proportions with Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Babylon 5, Wonder Woman, V and Freddy’s Nightmares.
*What a Rush TV: Rev up for plenty of action-adventure when East meets West in Kung Fu, plus La Femme Nikita, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Dark Justice and The Fugitive.
*Vintage TV (TM): Fans find all-time favorites such as Growing Pains with heartthrob Kirk Cameron, F-Troop, The F.B.I., Maverick and Alice.
A list of shows available at launch is included below. All of the episodes can also be found through the new AOL® Video Search, and can be viewed full-screen with Windows Media streaming technology as well as in the new AOL® Hi-Q(TM) video format, which can deliver DVD-quality videos directly to consumers quickly and efficiently.
In2TV also features highly engaging viral short-form videos and programming themes that repackage some of the greatest moments in television in exciting new ways. Examples include "Starplay," featuring stars before they were stars; "Punchline," great comedy clips; "TV Karaoke," theme-song sing-alongs; "Crème de la Classic TV," the best episodes from a series; "Betcha Didn’t Know!," fun facts about favorite TV stars; "RetroRunway" great fashion highlights; and "Pilot Theater," TV pilot episodes.
In addition, In2TV offers "In2Active TV"--unique interactive experiences that test fans’ knowledge of TV trivia and offer addictive games and challenges. At launch, "In2Active TV" will include a Growing Pains memory game called "Mike," similar to the popular 80’s game "Simon"; a Babylon 5-themed game called "Spaceoids," a throwback to the classic arcade game where the user fires away at space rock and debris; and a Pinky and the Brain drawing activity where users can create their own cartoons the old fashioned way--one frame at a time. Each of these series will also feature TVIQ quizzes which run concurrent with the airing of specific show episodes and add a new dimension to the traditional viewing experience.
In2TV provides advertisers with compelling video inventory for instream broadband advertising as well as opportunities for sponsorships and accompanying banner ads. Video ads, 15-second and 30-second spots, will be limited to a total of 1-2 minutes within each 30-minute episode as compared to 8 minutes of advertising on broadcast television.
