Bite TV, the multiplatfrom broadcaster currently available in 1.3 million homes across Canada, added four new shows to their fall lineup, including one program that was made for a sponsor – Canadian youth retailer West49.
Targeting the 16- to 24-year-old market, West 49 Ambition Skatecamp was built specifically for the brand, says Jeffrey Elliott, founder and president of Bite and co-CEO of GlassBOX TV. ‘Literally from the ground up, it was built with West49 as our partner, and their brand [was built] into the series,’ he tells MiC.
Filmed at Muskoka Woods Resort on Lake Rousseau, Ambition debuts Monday, Nov. 2 at 9 p.m., pitting young skateboarders against each other for a profile in SBC Skateboard Magazine and a chance to compete in the Maloof Money Cup worth $450,000 in prize money. Sports industry vets act as judges on the eight-episode program. Secondary sponsors have been integrated into every episode as well, says Elliott, but details are under wraps until next week. ‘There have been six integrated sponsorships that have been sold but there definitely are more traditional integrated sponsorships available,’ Elliott says.
Also premiering next month is The Short Bus, an after-school chat and music video flow that will feature Twitter-to-screen and chat-to-screen elements, and will also be a call to action for user-generated content that could potentially be used for the station’s other programs. ‘When I say home-grown content I’m not talking about cats on skateboards, I’m talking about young professionals who are creating content and doing a really good job at it and this [industry] is sort of a place that they want to be when they grow up,’ says Elliott. The Short Bus also premieres on Nov. 2 at 4:30 p.m. It’s an ongoing series – ‘think of it as an afternoon blog,’ Elliott says.
Hardcore Kitchen targets 18- to 34-year-old single viewers who want to cook easy gourmet recipes on date night. It also features band performances each week and ‘Drink Girls’ who drop in to recommend wine or spirits that go with the meal. The 13-episode, 30-minute series debuts Nov. 2 at 10 p.m.
A one-hour show that’s all about geek culture, Diggnation premieres on Nov. 8 at 11 p.m. The hosts are described as a beer-swigging duo who will take on weekly online news and gossip. All of the series will live online a well as on cable.
‘When the flight date is over, the content from our website doesn’t go away, it lives there forever, which is truly added value for the advertiser,’ says Ryan Fuss, director of sales, GlassBOX TV.
