toopyandbinoo.com presents a new, very popular animated series/website. © Spectra Animation 2006.

“As for Erky Perky, this brand will be all about user-generated content,” Lalumiere says. “Kids will have the opportunity to create animated Erky Perky movies and vote on this content YTV.com. Their creations will also inspire storyline development for season 2 of the show.”

This is Emily Yeung provides yet another new media opportunity. “This is what we call the preschool pass-back factor, as parents pick up their digital media devices and pass them to their kids in the back seat of the car to provide entertainment on the go,” Lalumiere says. “We will offer Emily Yeung episodes to parents as online downloads for MP3 players, mobile phones and computers via our new digital video download service TreehouseDirect. Kids and their parents will be able to interact with Emily Yeung via online activities on TreehouseTV.com.”

Corus is also involved in the new media development of Captain Flamingo, which airs on YTV. “Games are one of the top activities for kids online,” says Lalumiere. “Our plans for Captain Flamingo tap into this trend, offering online, wireless and potentially iTV games on YTV.com. Video shorts also rank high with kids online. We plan to provide short-form Captain Flamingo content on multiple platforms to feed the growing audience appetite.”

zimmertwins.teletoon.com encourages kids to animate their own episodes of Zimmer Twins, and the best ones are adapted for television. ©2006 Lost the Plot Prods. Inc.

New Media Pitch
New media is fresh, and independent animators are finding that new media tie-ins are becoming an important — and expected — part of the pitching process.

“Broadcasters are very interested in receiving content that is more than just a TV program,” comments Breakthrough’s McGuigan. “When licensing a program, they are now asking for many other rights such as mobile rights, Internet rights, etc. To exploit those rights, it helps if you can create and deliver new content to them that will work on these platforms. As content creators, it is in our best interest to learn what type of content works on each platform, and how we can best reach the demographic being targeted.”

The “rights issue” is a hot-button topic for Collideascope’s Comeau, who says that it is a key challenge facing independent producers. “Negotiation of rights is a very important issue,” Comeau says. He says that producers should protect their interests when it comes to new media, because broadcasters are hungry for the content and may want the producer to give up all ancillary rights.

In an innovative move, Dudson appears on digital signage in the Toronto subway system. © 2006 DECODE Interactive Inc.

And when it comes to a successful pitch, new media often remains a supplementary sell. “TV drives the bus,” Comeau says. “At the initial pitching stage, you need the TV show for the buy-in, and the new media reinforces the pitch.”

Corus’ Lalumiere comments, “Corus Ent. expects that its production partners will bring multiplatform strategies, components and viable content to the planning table. Our partnership approach to the digital media space results in stronger content, uniquely tailored for our audiences that meets the business needs of both broadcaster and producer. Audiences are continually looking for ways to connect with their favorite branded content over various platforms, and the most compelling way to achieve this is to have broadcaster and producer aligned and equally engaged from the outset of the project.”

“Absolutely required in pitches is a new media element for almost everything,” says Bell Fund’s Sheffer. “They are indeed expected. Some are small, and some are rich and comprehensive, but the expectation is there — broadcasters have become committed to the inevitable!”

New Media Trends
As for what’s hot in new media, Bell Fund’s Sheffer says, “It seems that everything is leaning toward mobile phones and iPods, etc. But those digital signs are going to need lots of content. I think we are going to see a lot of broadband streaming of linear content.”

“In the past year, the word ‘mobile’ has become the buzz of the industry with everyone trying to figure out how they can make money in the new hot mobile market,” notes Breakthrough’s McGuigan. “Down the road, I think iTV has the potential to be a huge new market for content creators.”