Oxygen Media announced a partnership with ACTV8.ME to power its new Social TV platform for "The Glee Project" season two, premiering this summer 2012. Oxygen will offer fans the opportunity to experience a talent-powered, relationship-driven social TV platform that connects them directly to the series contenders over the course of the entire competition. The spinoff competition series, which awards one winner a seven episode arc on "Glee," will return with 14 talented and unique contenders -- two more than season one -- additional themes and all new music. The announcement was made today from the South by Southwest(R) (SXSW(R)) Conference in Austin, Texas.
"We had ambitious goals for pushing the boundaries of engagement and ACTV8.ME proved to be the partner and platform to deliver on them," said Jennifer Kavanagh, Senior Vice President, Digital, Oxygen Media. "The most valuable reward we can offer fans is access to the talent they love. The core of our Social TV platform is about engaging to earn experiences."
Oxygen will utilize ACTV8's technology to power experiences that reward fans with exclusive access to contenders and the opportunity to receive on-air recognition. Throughout the season, select super fans will participate in exclusive live video chats with their favorite contenders, and one lucky fan will even get to meet their favorite contender face-to-face. Building upon the social success of "The Glee Project" season one, Oxygen and ACTV8.ME will also create a second screen experience that is essential to the series. During each episode, fans will be able to unlock new content, use their mobile devices to share their favorite moments from the show in real-time, and to participate in challenges and homework assignments issued by the contenders. Fans will also have access to exclusive synchronized content that compliments the viewing experience during the second season.
Mark Burnett, one of the most successful global producers and the acknowledged pioneer of reality programming in the U.S., partnered with ACTV8.ME in December 2011 to usher in a whole new world of audience participation and integration with television.
"Oxygen's partnership with ACTV8.ME as their social TV platform of choice aligns with my belief that ACTV8 is the cutting-edge solution for second-screen content," said Burnett.
ACTV8.ME delivers what it calls a "complete global media integration platform." The platform synchronizes a user's mobile device or tablet to any live or recorded video broadcast and not only provides rich interactive content to the user's device related to the programming, but also feeds viral hooks into Facebook and Twitter. With its proprietary technology, ACTV8.ME has married broadcast and cable television to the two largest social media platforms on the planet, and then made this all interactive, thus creating the ultimate uber-platform. Their powerful technology enables ACTV8.ME to deliver a host of program enhancements, line extensions, quizzes, trivia, gaming and sales experiences in conjunction with any TV programming.
Brian Shuster, CEO of ACTV8.ME said, "We are very excited to be working in partnership with the innovative and creative teams at Oxygen Media, they will truly define a new landscape of connectivity to the audience."
The announcement of Oxygen Media's partnership with ACTV8.ME comes during the South by Southwest(R) (SXSW(R)) Conference in Austin. Jennifer Kavanagh, Senior Vice President of Digital, Oxygen Media, is a Presenter on the conference panel entitled "Integrating Brands into Social Television" on Saturday, March 10 from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
"The Glee Project" season two will return with Ryan Murphy and Dante Di Loreto continuing as executive producers along with series executive producers Michael Davies and Shauna Minoprio of Embassy Row. Murphy will once again join casting director Robert Ulrich, choreographer and "Glee" co-producer Zach Woodlee and vocal coach Nikki Anders in the final deliberations of each installment of the series.
