AOL and Warner Bros. announced 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 full episodes of favorite Warner Bros. programs from the past 40 years, such as WELCOME BACK, KOTTER, CHICO & THE MAN, GROWING PAINS, KUNG FU, LOIS & CLARK, as well as animated series, along with interactive features and viral videos that enable audiences to experience and interact with television programming in a new way.
The launch was kicked off with an event March 15, 2006, at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills hosted by AOL and Warner Bros., with stars from the In2TV programming lineup making appearances, emceed by Gabe Kaplan of WELCOME BACK, KOTTER. As a part of the evening's events, AOL and Warner Bros. honored the late Freddie Prinze, celebrated comedian and star of CHICO AND THE MAN, with the first In2TV Influencer Award, for his groundbreaking contributions and legacy as a Latino actor. Actor/Comedian George Lopez, star of ABC's GEORGE LOPEZ, presented the award to Freddie Prinze Jr., star of ABC's FREDDIE.
"In2TV offers consumers access to an unprecedented collection of Warner Bros. TV favorites, including thousands of great dramas, comedies, animated series loaded with unique interactive features," said Eric Frankel, president, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution. "We're proud to team with AOL on this first-of-its-kind broadband network and, in the near future we will be adding more recent programs and other TV related content from our studio and other producers that you can't find anywhere else on the Web."
In2TV breaks new ground as the first true broadband television network, said Kevin Conroy, evp, AOL Media Networks. With the largest collection of full length television programming anywhere on the Web, plus interactive features and viral videos all free and on-demand, In2TV will appeal to existing fans as well as introduce these shows to a whole new generation.
In2TV is another important milestone in the evolution of video on the Web, and is one more way that we are making AOL.com the best destination for video online, continued Conroy.
Available exclusively through the AOL.com website (www.aol.com/in2tv), the In2TV service enables fans to 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:
* Toon Topia TV: Kids and adults alike may check out animated fare, such as BEETLEJUICE, STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS PINKY AND THE BRAIN AND FREAKAZOID, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BATMAN and HISTERIA!
* LOL TV: Laugh Out Loud with everyones 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: Fans will enjoy the unaired lost pilot of juicy soap, FALCON CREST; and all the drama of five-time Emmy nominated SISTERS; plus theres SCARECROW AND MRS. KING; SPENSER: FOR HIRE and the family favorite, EIGHT IS ENOUGH.
*Heroes and Horrors TV: Sci-fi and horror come together in heroic proportions with LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, BABYLON 5, WONDER WOMAN, V and FREDDYS NIGHTMARES.
*What a Rush TV: This channel offers plenty of action/adventure with KUNG FU, plus LA FEMME NIKITA, THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY, JR., DARK JUSTICE and THE FUGITIVE.
* Vintage TV: A channel where fans find all-time favorites such as GROWING PAINS with heartthrob Kirk Cameron, F-TROOP, THE F.B.I., MAVERICK and ALICE.
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 video format, which can deliver DVD-quality videos directly to consumers quickly and efficiently.
In2TV also features 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 80s 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 one to two minutes within each 30-minute episode as compared to eight minutes of advertising on broadcast television.
"In2TV begins to realize the true potential of Web-based TV by putting the viewer in charge of their own TV schedule online," said Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Ent. Group. "This opens up new opportunities for platforms and program distributors alike and points to the prospect of exciting new paradigms in online and interactive entertainment soon to come."
In addition to the In2TV Influencer Award presented to Prinze, AOL and Warner Bros. have established a scholarship in Freddie Prinze's name at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television for a talented graduate student who furthers the interests of Hispanic minorities in the areas of writing, producing or directing for television.
America Online Inc. and its subsidiaries operate a leading network of web brands and the largest Internet access subscription service in the U.S. Brands include the AOL service, the AOL.com website, and the AIM, MapQuest, Moviefone, Netscape, CompuServe and ICQ services. America Online offers a range of digital services including the TotalTalk voice service. The company also has operations in Canada and Europe. America Online, based in Dulles, Virginia, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.
Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution is the leading supplier of programming to the pay television and basic cable marketplaces. WBDCD licenses, markets and distributes top quality programming to a dozen broadcast networks, 30 pay TV, more than 100 basic cable channels and numerous HD networks.
