Sinclair Plays a Web TV Hunch with TBD

At some point this year MGM and Sinclair will press ahead with the rollout of Charge a companion channel to Comet TV with the focus on actionadventure and mystery movies and TV series Initially as with Comet those movies and TV series will come from MGM39s libraryamp160 Ultimately all three multicast services will become multiplescreen services delivered through mobile tablets smart TVs and smart TVmaking devices Charge along with a bunch of multicast newbies from other providers was unveiled at the NATPE meeting in Miami last monthTBD quotwill be a soft launch as we did with Comet TVquot says Scott Shapiro Vice President of Corporate Development at Sinclair amp160quotWe39ll use the early rollouts to work out any technical kinks then go ahead from therequot amp160He39s confident other station groups will express desire to distribute TBD once the network gains a following with its Millennial target audienceWhat39s coming soon to viewers in those first rollout locations is an outgrowth of The QYOU a linear service offering shortform Web content overseas over various platforms including cable and satellite For TBD both short and longform Web work will be featured in a variety of genres from scripted comedies and dramas to lifestyle clips music videos and the latest viral sensations amp160quotFrom a personality standpoint we want to leave the audience with a sense of Web surfingquot adds Scott Ehrlich The QYOU39s CoFounder and CEO quotThe idea is to maintain a place on TV where at any time you can witness the unpredictable or unexpectedquot In time wraparound segments may be used to help viewers transition from one experience to another amp160Ehrlich also expects viewers will participate at some level as TBD evolvesContent suppliers involved with TBD so far include Whistle Sports Jukin Video Legendary Digital Networks Zoomin and Canvas Media Studios Negotiations are underway for material from a variety of other Web content makers and application developersOne content opportunity Shapiro expects to tap at some point is the production resources of Sinclair39s stations as well as the Web sites those stations generate amp160Lifestyle and travel subject matter could receive ongoing national exposure through TBD amp160quotLet39s say our Baltimore station comes up with a feature about the city39s top five chefs and where to check them outquot explains Shapiro quotYou could naturally leverage that video right therequot amp160Already some companyowned stations have created specials covering local comic or science fiction events for Comet TV andor developed news features from tournaments carried on Tennis ChannelIndeed it was during the process of acquiring Tennis Channel that Sinclair learned of The QYOU39s existence amp160During a tour of Tennis Channel39s control room by Sinclair management The QYOU was running over a monitor amp160That started discussion of adapting the format stateside and targeting it among Millennials amp160quotEhrlich and I got together and one thing lead to anotheramp8221 Shapiro says amp160amp8220For us this represents the next generation of TV experiencequotquotWe ended up sharing both a vision and the approach to work it throughquot Ehrlich notesFor each market rollout of TBD Sinclair stations will do onair announcements throughout the day plus run promotional ads on their Web sites Content suppliers involved with the channel will alert followers on a marketbymarket basis in various ways amp160As for advertising all the avails will be network for now Local breaks or insertion will be reviewed later onWith TBD39s format rooted in the element of surprising viewers Sinclair will offer national advertisers a number of ways to get their message out Part of this harkens back to the beginnings of MTV in the early 1980s when sponsors were encouraged to create ads geared for its 1834 audience and to do so in eyecatching ways including music video sequences If advertisers want to experiment they39ll be welcome herequotYou39ll see the gamut spots time blocks maybe a comeback of programs brought to you by XYZquot Shapiro predicts quotWe39re determined to lower the barriers and generate a good amount of creativityquot Along the way generating a big new home for the most creative Internet content now and the most innovative to comeNote This is the latest in a series of columns on Sinclair39s growing array of content assetsClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160amp160

APPLY FOR JOBS | SUBMIT YOUR RESUME | REGISTER FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT

Sinclair Plays a Web TV Hunch with TBD

Author

Publish date

Channel

Simon Applebaum

APPLY FOR JOBS | SUBMIT YOUR RESUME | REGISTER FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT

Sinclair Plays a Web TV Hunch with TBD

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Simon Applebaum

Cookies