AOL and Warner Bros. are saying "Welcome Back" to thousands of classic TV shows with the launch of In2TV, the first broadband television network, on AOL.com. The network offers the largest collection of free on-demand TV shows on the Web, including full episodes of favorite Warner Bros. programs from the past 40 years such as Welcome Back, Kotter, Chico & The Man, Alice, Growing Pains, Sisters, Kung Fu, Lois & Clark and many others, along with interactive features and viral videos that enable audiences to experience and interact with television programming in an entirely new way. To celebrate the launch, AOL and Warner Bros. will host an event tonight at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills, with stars from the In2TV programming lineup scheduled to make appearances.
"In2TV breaks new ground as the first true broadband television network. With the largest collection of full length television programming anywhere on the Web, plus interactive features and viral videos all free and on-demand, In2TV will appeal to existing fans as well as introduce these shows to a whole new generation," said Kevin Conroy, Executive Vice President, AOL Media Networks. "In2TV is another important milestone in the evolution of video on the Web, and is one more way that we are making AOL.com the best destination for video online."
"In2TV begins to realize the true potential of Web-based TV by putting the viewer in charge of their own TV schedule online," said Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. "This opens up new opportunities for platforms and program distributors alike and points to the prospect of exciting new paradigms in online and interactive entertainment soon to come."
"In2TV offers consumers access to an unprecedented collection of Warner Bros. TV favorites including thousands of great dramas, comedies, animated series loaded with unique interactive features," said Eric Frankel, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution. "We're proud to team with AOL on this first-of-its-kind broadband network and, in the near future we will be adding more recent programs and other TV related content from our studio and other producers that you can't find anywhere else on the Web."
Available exclusively through the
AOL.com Web site, the In2TV service lets fans watch hundreds of episodes from dozens of shows every month, along with quizzes, puzzles, photo galleries and polls tied to the various shows. The shows are organized into six genre-themed channels (with two more to launch this summer), including:
- LOL TV: Laugh Out Loud with everyone's favorite comedies from Welcome Back, Kotter which made a household name out of John Travolta to the slapstick antics of Cousin Balkai and Larry in Perfect Strangers as well as the Emmy-winning Chico and the Man, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper and Head of the Class.
- Dramarama TV: Fans will enjoy the unaired "lost" pilot of juicy soap Falcon Crest and all the drama of five-time Emmy nominated Sisters, plus there's Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Spenser: For Hire and the family favorite Eight Is Enough.
- Toon Topia TV: Kids and adults alike will flock to animated fare such as Beetlejuice, Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky and the Brain and Freakazoid, The New Adventures of Batman, and Histeria!
- Heroes and Horrors TV: Sci-Fi and Horror come together in heroic proportions with Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Babylon 5, Wonder Woman, V and Freddy's Nightmares.
- What a Rush TV: Rev up for plenty of action-adventure when East meets West in Kung Fu, plus La Femme Nikita, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Dark Justice and The Fugitive.
- Vintage TV: Fans find all-time favorites such as Growing Pains with heartthrob Kirk Cameron, F-Troop, The F.B.I., Maverick and Alice.
List of In2TV Series at Launch(More series will be added to this list over the course of the year.)
Adventures of Brisco County Junior
Alice
Babylon 5
Beetlejuice
Chico and the Man
Dark Justice
Eight is Enough
F Troop
The F.B.I.
Falcon Crest
Freakazoid
Freddy's Nightmares
The Fugitive
Growing Pains
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Head of the Class
Histeria!
Kung Fu
La Femme Nikita
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Maverick
The New Adventures of Batman
Perfect Strangers
Pinky and the Brain
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Sisters
Spenser: For Hire
V
Welcome Back, Kotter
Wonder Woman
All of the episodes can also be found through the new AOL Video Search, and can be viewed full-screen with Windows Media streaming technology as well as in the new AOL Hi-Q video format, which can deliver DVD-quality videos directly to consumers quickly and efficiently.
In2TV also features highly engaging viral short-form videos and programming themes that repackage some of the greatest moments in television in exciting new ways. Examples include "Starplay," featuring stars before they were stars; "Punchline," great comedy clips; "TV Karaoke," theme-song sing-alongs; "Creme de la Classic TV," the best episodes from a series; "Betcha Didn't Know!," fun facts about favorite TV stars; "RetroRunway" great fashion highlights; and "Pilot Theater," TV pilot episodes.
In addition, In2TV offers "In2Active TV"--unique interactive experiences that test fans' knowledge of TV trivia and offer addictive games and challenges. At launch, "In2Active TV" will include a Growing Pains memory game called "Mike," similar to the popular 80's game "Simon"; a Babylon 5-themed game called "Spaceoids," a throwback to the classic arcade game where the user fires away at space rock and debris; and a Pinky and the Brain drawing activity where users can create their own cartoons the old fashioned way--one frame at a time. Each of these series will also feature TVIQ quizzes which run concurrent with the airing of specific show episodes and add a new dimension to the traditional viewing experience.
In2TV provides advertisers with compelling video inventory for instream broadband advertising as well as opportunities for sponsorships and accompanying banner ads. Video ads, 15-second and 30-second spots, will be limited to a total of 1-2 minutes within each 30-minute episode as compared to 8 minutes of advertising on broadcast television.
Launch Celebration To celebrate In2TV's launch, AOL and Warner Bros. will host a star-studded party tonight at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills at 7 p.m. PT. With Welcome Back Kotter star Gabe Kaplan as the evening's emcee, the event will feature appearances by stars from In2TV shows such as Growing Pains, Perfect Strangers, Kung Fu, Babylon 5, V, The New Adventures of Batman and others.
As a part of the evening's events, AOL and Warner Bros. will honor the late Freddie Prinze, celebrated comedian and star of Chico and the Man, with the first In2TV Influencer Award, for his groundbreaking contributions and legacy as a Latino actor. Actor/Comedian George Lopez, star of ABC's George Lopez, will present the award to Freddie Prinze Jr., star of ABC's Freddie.
"I'm honored to accept the In2TV Influencer Award on behalf of my father," said Prinze Jr. "This is a fitting tribute to a man whose career helped open doors for Latinos in entertainment. I'm sure he'd be humbled by this recognition."
In addition, AOL and Warner Bros. have established a scholarship in Freddie Prinze's name at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television for a talented graduate student who furthers the interests of Hispanic minorities in the areas of writing, producing or directing for television.