MUMBAI: MSN and Mark Burnett Productions have entered a deal wherein MSN will be the official online home for Mark Burnett Productions' upcoming reality series Rock Star: INXS in the US.
MSN will create content and sell advertising on the site, which will be available at http://rockstar.msn.com and accessible across the MSN network.
Launching in June, the MSN Rock Star: INXS site will extend and enhance the show for both the contestants and the audience by taking fans backstage and giving them a VIP rock star experience through video, content and communication tools from MSN Entertainment, MSN Video, MSN Music, MSN Spaces, MSN Messenger, MSN Alerts and MSN Shopping. The site will let people see up-close the talent and commitment it takes to become a rock star by bringing them virtually inside the competition.
Rock Star: INXS, which will air on CBS in the US this summer, is the ultimate aspiration television series: a competition aimed at finding a new lead singer for the multiplatinum band INXS. Each week, a contestant will be voted off the show by a combination of INXS band members, judges and audience members.
Fans who visit the official site for the series on MSN can do the following:
Get the latest information and gossip from the show
Relive contestants' performances again and again on MSN Video and share them with friends
See exclusive content filmed specially for MSN
Download custom playlists from the contestants and INXS band members on MSN Music
Check out blogs on MSN Spaces from key members of the show
Chat with other fans to share thoughts about the show and support favorite contestants through MSN Messenger and MSN Spaces
Shop for official Rock Star: INXS merchandise on MSN Shopping
Take Rock Star: INXS polls and quizzes via the Encarta online encyclopedia.
Brand advertisers interested in the unique opportunity to reach a massive, highly engaged, cross-generational, 18- to 49-year-old target demographic -- and all fans of rock n' roll and reality TV -- can advertise on the official MSN Rock Star: INXS site and within the multiple MSN services that Rock Star: INXS will leverage.
Ad opportunities on MSN for the site include 15 second or 30 second streaming video ads on MSN Video, and standard Universal Ad Package (UAP) ads on the MSN Rock Star: INXS site and throughout the MSN network.
"We're excited to team up with MSN for this series because it gives us access to a massive online audience and multiple platforms to reach fans and build communities. In addition to offering exclusive video and music content, we can use interactive communications services like MSN Spaces and MSN Messenger to help fans develop an even deeper connection to the series," said Mark Burnett.
"Mark Burnett is a rare talent, and we're thrilled to be working with him on such an exciting project. By combining the creative excellence of Mark Burnett with the customer reach and technology expertise of MSN, we will deliver a dynamic site that lets people interact with the show and our advertisers' brands in compelling ways," said MSN Information Services and Merchant Platform senior vice president Yusuf Mehdi.
