or


[01/13/09 - 01:03 PM]
CBS and Eqal Announce "Harper's Island" as a Multi-Platform Social Show Collaboration
The online social show will launch on Wednesday, March 18, several weeks prior to the broadcast premiere of HARPER'S ISLAND on Thursday, April 9.

[via press release from CBS]

CBS AND EQAL ANNOUNCE "HARPER'S ISLAND" AS A MULTI-PLATFORM SOCIAL SHOW COLLABORATION

The Mystery Event To Premiere Online With Original Web Content That Is Complementary To The Upcoming Prime Time Television Show

CBS and EQAL, the creators of lonelygirl15, today announced that the upcoming 13- episode mystery event HARPER'S ISLAND will be a multi-platform series the companies have collaborated on to deliver an interactive and social entertainment experience.

Prior to the premiere of the primetime series, CBS and EQAL will launch HARPER'S GLOBE (http://www.harpersglobe.com/) online with original social show episodes that will be complementary to the television storyline with overlapping characters, locations and plots that will continue to evolve throughout the first season of the television show. In addition to being available on HarpersGlobe.com, all content will be available at CBS.com, on CBS Mobile and across the CBS Audience Network.

Representatives from CBS Entertainment, CBS Paramount Network Television, CBS Interactive, as well as writing teams from the show and EQAL, have been working in close collaboration since the series was at the script level last spring to ensure the on air, online and on mobile narratives are cohesive and complementary across all mediums. The online social show will launch on Wednesday, March 18, several weeks prior to the broadcast premiere of HARPER'S ISLAND on Thursday, April 9 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) and will coexist with the weekly television show concluding with the broadcast finale on Thursday, July 2 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

HARPER'S ISLAND is about a group of family and friends who travel to a secluded island for a destination wedding. They've come to laugh... to love... and, though they don't know it... to die. As the wedding festivities begin, friendships are tested and secrets exposed as a murderer claims victims, one by one, transforming the wedding week of fun and celebration into a terrifying struggle for survival. In every episode, someone is killed and every person is a suspect, from the wedding party to the island locals. By the end of the 13 episodes, all questions will be answered, the killer will be revealed and only a few will survive.

"HARPER'S ISLAND is a really unique show, so I was thrilled when the network and the studio decided to break new ground and exploit all platforms of the show from the start," said executive producer Jon Turteltaub. "Putting CBS Interactive together with EQAL gives the show an innovative and entertaining online presence a full three weeks before they launch the on-air program. The multi-platform, interactive elements at HarpersGlobe.com expand the whole experience of our show, which I feel is beyond necessary in the world of such rapidly changing media. We have to make our show an Internet event, as well as a broadcast TV event."

"At CBS we are committed to creating content and experiences that are unique to the Web and mobile platforms and complementary to and expand on our television programming," said Quincy Smith, CEO, CBS Interactive. "This commitment was the catalyst to our partnering with EQAL. As the creators of lonelygirl15 and KateModern they get that the Web is a new medium. HARPER'S ISLAND represents ideal content to showcase on multiple platforms because of its potential to attract engaged audiences who want to make the show an event every day."

"It's not a pre-requisite to go online in order to follow the series on-air, but those who do will have an authentic entertainment experience that drills deeper into the mythology and mystery happening on HARPER'S ISLAND," said Nancy Tellem, President, CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group. "Since the pilot phase, the writers have been working with our colleagues at EQAL and CBS Interactive to make Harper's Globe a destination that is a unique yet faithful connection to the television series while sustaining the curiosity and conversation before and between episodes."

"The best shows on television are those that leave you wanting more at the closing credits each week. With CBS we're giving fans more. More characters, more plotlines and more ways than ever before to interact with a television show," said Miles Beckett, CEO of EQAL. "By bringing together the unique elements of both mediums, we're able to extend and amplify the HARPER'S ISLAND experience to engage fans in a whole new way."

In addition to collaborating with CBS on the writing, producing, and directing all of the social show content, EQAL will also help provide the technology infrastructure to host the social show which includes built-in interactive and community elements.

Jon Turteltaub ("Jericho") and Jeffrey Bell ("Alias," "Angel," "The X-Files") are executive producers for CBS Paramount Network Television in association with Junction Entertainment. Karim Zreik ("Jericho"), Dan Shotz ("Jericho") and Tyler Bensinger ("Cold Case") are co-executive producers and Ari Schlossberg ("Hide and Seek") is co-executive producer and creator.

The social show episodes are executive produced by Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried, co-founders of EQAL, and Matt Seigel, co-executive produced by James Sterling, directed by Tony Valenzuela, written by Jennifer Yale and starring Melanie Merkosky.

In addition to this first collaboration on HARPER'S ISLAND, CBS Interactive and EQAL have an ongoing partnership. First announced in May 2008, the agreement calls for EQAL to conceptualize, develop and produce social shows related to CBS' television series. In addition, EQAL acts as a consulting partner to CBS Interactive, and provides the network with a 'first look' at new multi-platform show concepts developed by the company.

About CBS Interactive

CBS Interactive, a division of CBS Corporation, is the best online content network for information and entertainment. With more than 170 million people visiting its properties each month, it is the 8th largest Web property globally. Its portfolio of leading brands, which include CNET, CBS.com, CBSSports.com, GameSpot, TV.com, BNET and Last.fm, span popular categories like technology, entertainment, sports, news and business.

About EQAL

EQAL (pronounced "Equal") is a social entertainment company dedicated to changing the way content is consumed. Merging technology with creative development and production expertise, EQAL is a leader in the creation of social shows. The company recently concluded the runs of the two most successful social dramas, lonelygirl15 and KateModern, which had over 150 million combined views, and in September 2008 launched its newest online serial; LG15: The Resistance. Through partnerships with independent producers, traditional media companies, and multi-national brands, EQAL is dedicated to building online communities that engage users like never before. EQAL is headquartered in Los Angeles. For more information: http://www.eqal.com/.





  [january 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· ALIAS (ABC)
· ANGEL (WB)
· COLD CASE (CBS)
· HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS)
· JERICHO (CBS)
· X-FILES, THE (FOX)





[02/07/25 - 01:13 PM]
ABC Claims Top 5 Shows Among Adults 18-49 in Cross-Platform Broadcast Series Rankings
Driven by stellar streaming viewership on Hulu and Disney+, three ABC titles more than triple their seven-day linear averages, including "High Potential" (+297%), "Abbott Elementary" (+270%) and "Shifting Gears" (+242%).

[02/07/25 - 01:01 PM]
NBC Celebrates the Legacy of "Saturday Night Live" on Feb. 15 with the First-Ever "SNL" Telecast Airing at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT
Plus: an encore of the critically acclaimed documentary "Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music" will start the night at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

[02/07/25 - 01:00 PM]
Video: "Between Walls" - Official Trailer - Hulu
Marga (Aislinn Derbez) and Martín (Christian Vazquez) happen to meet on a dating app, unaware they are neighbors.

[02/07/25 - 12:01 PM]
NFL Slimetime Presents Nickelodeon's Game Changers: Brand-New Special for Kids & Families Debuts Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 8:00 P.M. (ET/PT) in Honor of Black History Month
Leading into the special, Nickelodeon will premiere a brand-new episode of Tyler Perry's Young Dylan titled "Red Tails," at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

[02/07/25 - 10:08 AM]
CBS Wins Thursday Night with Top 4 Programs of the Night, Up from Its Thursday Season Average
"Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" (8:00-8:30 PM) was the #1 program of the night delivering 6.54 million viewers.

[02/07/25 - 10:04 AM]
All-New Season of "Naked and Afraid" Premieres on Sunday, March 9 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
From the sweltering jungles in the Philippines to the rugged bluffs of the American Midwest, each episode of the new season presents unique environments, unprecedented obstacles and history-making duos as they are brought together with no water, no food and no clothes.

[02/07/25 - 10:02 AM]
FX's "English Teacher" Renewed for Season Two
The show's first season has received three Critics Choice Awards nominations, including Best Comedy Series, and four nominations for the Film Independent Spirit Awards, including Best New Scripted Series.

[02/07/25 - 09:32 AM]
Starz Partners with Verizon to Include 1 Year Subscription for Eligible Customers in New Home Internet Offer
This offer is for new customers in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC markets who order Fios 1 Gig or 2 Gig Home Internet or for customers in the Atlanta market who order 5G Home Plus.

[02/07/25 - 09:10 AM]
CBS "Hollywood Squares" Is the Season's #1 New Unscripted Series Reaching Nearly 24 Million Unique Viewers
The show is televisions #1 new unscripted series this season averaging 5.40 million viewers in primetime alone.

[02/07/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - "Chris Distefano: It's Just Unfortunate"
Chris Distefano is trying to be the best father he can be but nowadays, words speak louder than actions - so Chris is acting with the right intentions, but not always the right moves.

[02/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Animated Academy Award Nominee "Flow" Begins Streaming Exclusively on Max February 14
A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, "Flow" follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood.

[02/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: "Winner" - Official Trailer - Hulu
Based on the true story, the ambitious but eccentric Reality Winner (Emilia Jones) finds herself in the middle of a political scandal when she becomes a surprising NSA whistleblower.

[02/07/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Orders New Unscripted High School Series "Sweethearts" and Releases Trailer
"Sweethearts" follows the lives of six teenage couples in Charleston, South Carolina, as they navigate the end of high school and their final summer together as a couple, before heading off to college.

[02/07/25 - 08:02 AM]
Lucy Lawless Returns for an All-New Season of Acorn TV's "My Life Is Murder"
Starring Lucy Lawless as the fearless and unapologetic investigator Alexa Crowe, each season sees her solving puzzling cases in Auckland, New Zealand with a little help from her witty friends.

[02/07/25 - 08:01 AM]
New Season, Fresh Rivalries - "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" Returns March 7
Drivers, managers and team owners live life in the fast lane - both on and off the track - during each cutthroat season of Formula 1 racing.