Monday, September 11, 2006

Anheuser Busch is setting up BudTV

US$30m is apparently being invested in Anheuser Busch's new venture Bud.TV. This is an online TV channel with several strands:

"The site - called "Bud.TV" - is aimed at consumers between the ages of 21 and 27 who routinely visit sites like MySpace.com and YouTube, said Tony Ponturo, Anheuser-Busch's vice president of global media and sports marketing...

...The Web site will feature sports shows, standup comedy and reality shows that are set in bars and restaurants, said Jim Schumacker, who will oversee Bud.TV.

Anheuser-Busch announced partnerships with some big-name stars who plan to contribute shows, including comedian Vince Vaughn. The Web site also will receive content from actor Kevin Spacey's TriggerStreet.com project and actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's "Project Greenlight" filmmaking contest."

Schumacker said one channel will imitate the YouTube phenomenon, letting viewers produce their own skits and advertisements featuring Anheuser-Busch products like Budweiser and Bud Light...

...While the shows will be original, Anheuser-Busch won't make them itself, Ponturo said. The company will act like an executive producer, choosing ideas to fund and buying completed shows to broadcast."

This follows hot on the heels of an announcment of the creation of a mobile and online content division.

If advertisers are going to create their own content, where does this leave broadcast TV? Is Bud.TV the ultimate in TV sponsorship?

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