eBay and Columbia TriStar Television Distribution to Create Television Series Tapping Into the Stories Behind the Collecting Phenomenon
Unique Project Will Also Feature Local Market Cross-Promotional Opportunities
PRNewswire
CULVER CITY, Calif.
08/29/2001
Columbia TriStar Television Distribution, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and eBay, the world's online marketplace™, are teaming up to launch a new television project for Fall 2002.
The project's cornerstone will be a daily series that taps into the booming phenomenon of modern-day collecting through the unique stories behind the millions of items traded daily on eBay and other venues. The series will be produced by eBay and LMNO Productions, in association with CTTD. LMNO is one of the industry's foremost providers of reality-based programming for network, cable and syndicated television. The series, designed for afternoon and early-fringe time periods, will be distributed by CTTD to local stations in syndication, with national barter handled by Columbia TriStar Television Advertiser Sales.
In addition, the series will offer local stations a value-added variety of innovative cross-promotions, including online links between stations' websites and the activities of eBay, which has more than 34 million registered users.
"In our conversations with them, television stations around the country are consistent in their desire for programming projects that will have the versatility and quality to become longterm franchises, and also offer promotional opportunities that, literally, venture outside the box," noted Russ Krasnoff, President, Programming and Production, CTTD. "This effort has the potential to achieve both goals in a creative, entertaining way."
"Television viewers are very active collectors, and vice versa. What attracts people to both are, in fact, almost identical: the drama, comedy, passion and personalities behind stories," said Jim Davis, Vice President, Marketing, eBay. "Our three companies bring complementary resources and talents to this project, which will feed the unending enthusiasm of the collecting community and be equally entertaining to viewers simply seeking great entertainment."
The projects also expands CTTD's slate of original syndication programming for Fall 2002. It is currently selling a new version of the hit game show "Pyramid," hosted by Donny Osmond, which has already achieved significant major market clearances.
LMNO Productions has established itself as both a prolific supplier of top-quality reality series -- supplying more than 120 hours to broadcast network primetime and 300 hours to cable networks in the last four years. LMNO is also a leader in translating global brand names into successful television programming. "Guinness World Records: Primetime" for FOX is now in its third season. In addition, the company produced 65 episodes of "Kids Say The Darndest Things" with Bill Cosby, converting the former brand of television, books and other merchandise into a CBS primetime staple. Currently, LMNO is producing "Alaska," a reality series launching in 2002 for FOX; the company previously produced that network's breakthrough hit "Boot Camp." The company created and developed "Real TV," the syndicated video magazine for Paramount Television. In addition, it created and produces "Behind Closed Doors with Joan Lunden," an on-location series which has running since 1994 and is presently in its second season as a series with A&E. Other clients include The WB, Discovery Health Channel, The Travel Channel, The Learning Channel and Lifetime Television, as well as numerous international broadcast partners.
eBay is the world's online marketplace™. Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale on eBay, as well as on Half.com, eBay's site dedicated to fixed price trading. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international basis with customized sites in markets around the world.
Columbia TriStar Television Distribution (http://www.cttd.com/) is one of the premier producers and distributors of original reality and scripted programming to syndication and cable television. In addition to "Pyramid," its syndication slate includes the new series "Shipmates," "Judge Hatchett," "Ricki Lake," "V.I.P." and "Sheena." For cable, CTTD produces "Strong Medicine," "Ripley's Believe It or Not" and "Going to California," as well as the upcoming series "Worse-Case Scenario," "Residents" and "Bad News, Mr. Swanson." Sony Pictures Entertainment's (http://www.spe.sony.com/) global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home video acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, development of new entertainment technologies and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries.
For further information, please contact: Andi Sporkin of Columbia TriStar Television Distribution, 310-244-2822, andi_sporkin@cttd.com; or Kevin Pursglove of eBay, 408-558-7458, kevinp@ebay.com.
SOURCE: Columbia TriStar Television Distribution
Contact: Andi Sporkin of Columbia TriStar Television Distribution,
+1-310-244-2822, andi_sporkin@cttd.com; or Kevin Pursglove of eBay,
+1-408-558-7458, kevinp@ebay.com
Website: http://www.spe.sony.com/
Website: http://www.cttd.com/