Weekly Series Creates an Alternative to the 30-Second Spot with First-Ever Branded Entertainment Show for the Network
Series Includes Multi-Platform Campaign Including Web, Mobile and fuse On Demand
NEW YORK, NY, July 24, 2006 – fuse, the nation's only viewer-driven music network, announced today it is joining with truth®, the youth smoking prevention campaign, for WARPED: INSIDE & OUT, a documentary-styled look at the Vans Warped Tour 2006, the summer's premiere festival dedicated to alternative music and extreme sports. The series marks the first time fuse has worked with an outside brand or campaign to create a fully integrated, branded entertainment program. Last month, fuse announced the exclusive broadcast rights to the tour with the original programming block Warped Wednesdays, featuring a rich slate of exclusive multi-platform Warped-related content. WARPED: INSIDE & OUT premieres Wednesdays at 9PM EST during the Warped Wednesdays block airing now through August 23rd.
"At fuse we are always looking for new and unique ways to create an even more powerful vehicle, beyond traditional media, to deliver our advertiser's messages," said Bill Rosolie, Senior Vice President of Ad Sales for fuse. "This new form of branded entertainment allows for us to seamlessly integrate truth®'s powerful and positive messaging about the dangers of tobacco use to our young, tech-savvy viewers across America."
WARPED: INSIDE & OUT will focus on the adventures of key characters that will be present throughout the raucous, three month-long music tour. Each show features truth® brand presence via its signature, orange-colored "truth® truck" and the truth® crew members – a diverse, high energy group of young people who are traveling with the tour this summer and engaging with teens first-hand with important messages about tobacco use and the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry. The series also includes the tour's creator Kevin Lyman and his staff, roadies, guitar techs, tour bus drivers, members and managers of the 100+ bands that will grace the event's 10 stages.
WARPED: INSIDE & OUT will also include an extensive multi-platform campaign with content accessible on-Air, on fuseMobile, on fuse On Demand and online at fuse.tv. fuse.tv contains a rich micro-site designed to give tour-goers and non-attendees the "inside scoop" on Warped. The site contains an array of clips from Warped, along with photo galleries, blogs and more created by fuse's on-site VJs, producers and talent. Mobile users can also use fuse's popular TXT TV applications to issue comments that will run on-screen during the four hour-block of music videos on Warped Wednesdays. Select Warped content will also appear exclusively on fuse On Demand.
"truth® continues to be successful with teens by finding new ways to engage with them. Our 'life on the road' documentary with fuse is another way teens can learn about our life-saving campaign through media and content that resonates with them and holds their interest," said Joseph Martyak, Executive Vice President for Marketing, Communications and Public Policy at the American Legacy Foundation®. "The tobacco industry spent more than $15.1 billion in 2003 marketing its products in the U.S. alone. We can never match that spending, so instead we stay ahead by being more "cutting edge" and going directly to teens with our messages – whether that means out on the road at 45 Vans Warped Tour stops this summer or through exciting new media like our documentary with fuse."
About fuse
fuse is the nation's only viewer-influenced, music television network, featuring music videos, exclusive artist interviews, live concerts, series and specials. fuse reflects the rapidly changing interests and attitudes of its 12-34 year-old audience by uniting the media platforms at the center of their communication and entertainment – TV, Web, mobile technologies and interactive gaming and by incorporating their opinions and suggestions into the network's on-air and online programming. More information about fuse is available at www.fuse.tv.
About truth®
truth®, launched in February 2000, is the largest national youth smoking prevention campaign and the only national campaign not directed by the tobacco industry. The campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking. truth® allows teens to make informed choices about tobacco use by giving them the facts about the industry and its products. The campaign was created by the American Legacy Foundation®, which was founded as a result of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between the tobacco industry, 46 states and five U.S. territories. Payments to the American Legacy Foundation® are made on behalf of the settling states.
In 2003, the American Legacy Foundation® received what is likely its final payment from the National Public Education Fund established by the Master Settlement Agreement. Despite the success of the truth® campaign, the campaign now faces an unprecedented funding challenge. Youth smoking rates are at historic lows, but without truth® this decline could end or even reverse itself. If truth® dies it, won't die alone.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC.
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media creates and manages some of the country's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands including popular national and regional television channels AMC, fuse, The Independent Film Channel (IFC), WE, and three FSN affiliated regional sports networks managed by Rainbow Sports Networks. The company also manages Mag Rack and sportskool, two original on-demand networks; VOOM HD Networks, the largest and most diverse suite of high definition channels available anywhere; IFC Entertainment, its film distribution, production and exhibition division; Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales division; and Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company.