On Monday, November 29, 1999, Time Warner launched its new Internet
entertainment network, Entertaindom. The new channel is the first on-line
entertainment network produced from a major media company. The channel will
offer a smorgasbord of on-line entertainment, news, and services from Warner's
vast vault of branded material. Entertaindom will include entertainment
news and
information from "Entertainment Weekly," CNN, Reuters, "Variety" and other
sources, including music and TV stories, movie reviews, hit lists and critics'
polls. It will also provide on-line services, shopping opportunities and
community functions such as e-mail, chat groups and entertainment home
pages helmed by AcmeCity, the joint venture between Warner Bros. On-line
and FortuneCity.com. Entertainment looks to be the main goal for
Entertaindom. The network will provide new shows produced for the Web that
have the chance to cross over into other media like THE GOD AND DEVIL SHOW
and the cult character DR. SCIENCE. Warner franchises like DC Comics' 3D
SUPERMAN and Warner Bros.' classic MARVIN THE MARTIAN will have their own
"webisodic" shows. In addition, Warner will tap into its classic Looney
Toon library and broadcast full-length cartoons as exclusive on-line
features. "Entertaindom is an extension of our strategy to harness the
consolidated strength of Time Warner's brands in the on-line world," said
Gerald Levin, Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Inc. "Entertaindom features
short programs which are as clever, creative and cutting-edge as many
feature films and television shows," said Richard Bressler, Chairman and
CEO of Time Warner Digital Media. SUPERMAN: THE MENACE OF METALLO will be a
new, weekly 3D "Multipath Movie" series, with seven-minute episodes that
recreate the thrill of cliff-hanging serials from the Golden Age of
Hollywood. MARVIN THE MARTIAN will bring back to life the Warner Bros.
character with new minute-long 3D animated shorts, utilizing the famous
Marvin voice and the original Carl Stalling Looney Tunes musical cues. THE
GOD AND DEVIL SHOW will be a weekly, animated talk show featuring celebs
(parodied by voice impersonators) who are interviewed by God and the Devil
themselves. DR. SCIENCE will be a weekly 3D-animated program starring an
over-confident know-it-all in a lab coat. On-line surfers may submit their
own questions each week and wait to see what crazy mis-information DR.
SCIENCE comes up with. Major advertisers like CD Now, Doughnet, eBay,
Intel, J.C. Penney, Kabang, Microsoft, Movietown, Procter & Gamble, RCA,
Volkswagen and Web TV have joined the channel already for its inital
launch. With the combination of Warners' famous branded media, hefty names
like CNN and "Entertainment Weekly," and big time advertisers, Entertaindom
looks like it has the potential to be a major powerhouse and trail blazer
in the world of Internet broadcasting.