Two new episodic cell phone series are slated to launch in September. Soon out of the gate will be Who Kidnapped Rachel B , billed an ‘interactive cellular thriller’ and winner of the best interactive mobile program award at MIPTV; and a ‘cellenovella’ entitled Girlz. Both are from Chooz Active Content, an Israel-based producer repped here by Toronto’s Big Bang Pictures, a subsidiary of The Nightingale Company. Big Bang has signed one Canadian mobile carrier and is currently negotiating two more.
‘Rachel B is going to run over six weeks and subscribers will get clues,video clips or animation on their cell phone,’ explains Debbie Nightingale,president of the The Nightingale Company. ‘Viewers use their phone to go to websites about possible suspects in the kidnapping and they accumulate points by guessing the name of the kidnapper. The whole time, of course,they¹re racking up minutes with their carrier.’
The company is still working out the fine details of their promotion strategy and revenue model. ‘We’re working on securing media sponsors right now,’ says Nightingale. ‘Specifically one that targets 15 to 29-year olds.’ She goes on to add that Big Bang is shopping for promo and carrier sponsorships. Who Kidnapped Rachel B is aimed at 15 to 39-year-olds with an even male/female split.
Girlz, a cellenovella with 180 one-minute chapters delivered daily to subscribers, targets 14 to 18-year-old girls. With Girlz, users can download ring tones and answer quizzes. The program also has a weekly comic strip running in print in Israel. Big Bang aims to do the same here. Both programs romise to be available across all cellular platforms.
