ITV

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  • ABC puts its dancing shoes back on

    MUMBAI: Dancing with the Stars will return to the ABC next year as a mid-season series with all new episodes.

    The series will continue to be produced by BBC Worldwide Productions, creators of the British hit show Strictly Come Dancing on which the ABC show was based.

    ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson says, “Dancing With The Stars has played a pivotal role in a great summer season for ABC. The show is tremendous fun, perfect for our brand and a wonderful boost for our schedule. Having this show and Brat Camp both emerge this summer as assets for the future gives us great upside down the line.”

    The series pairs celebrities with professional ballroom dancers. The couples train in such dances as the Viennese Waltz, the Rumba, the Cha-Cha-Cha and the Tango, and then compete in front of a studio audience – and a live national television audience. They are judged by a panel of experts, as well as by viewers at home, with one couple being eliminated each week.

    BBC Entertainment Group head Wayne Garvie says, “We love it that the American public has gone crazy for Dancing with the Stars. For the second season, we guarantee even more tears, tantrums and tangos than ever before.”

    ABC claims that during its premiere season, Dancing with the Stars emerged as the biggest summer hit of this year. The broad-appealing unscripted series ranked number one in its Wednesday 9 o’clock time period among Total Viewers, across each of the key adult demos (Adults 18-34, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54), as well as among Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

    On an average it towered over its closest competition in its hour (NBC) by 9.2 million viewers (16.8 million vs. 7.6 million) and by 143% in Adults 18-49 (5.1/15 vs. 2.1/6), and ranked as the No. 1 TV show on Wednesday night among viewers and young adults on all 6 of its telecasts.

    Dancing with the Stars also qualified as the most-watched summer series on any network in the last five years – since the inaugural season of Survivor on CBS in Summer 2000.

  • MTV Games US puts on a poker face

    MUMBAI: MTV Games the new interactive entertainment division of American media conglomerate Viacom has announced a strategic alliance with Myelin Media a publisher of interactive entertainment software.

    The deal is for a poker video game Stacked with Daniel Negreanu. This Texas Hold ‘em game scheduled for release later this year for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft , the PSP system from Sony and the PC.

    MTV US and Myelin will be working together to deliver the high-paced action and experience of poker to the MTV audience via on-air, online, mobile and other platforms, as well as developing programming based on the Stacked brand to air around the time of the release of the game. MTV.com will serve as the official online site of Stacked on all platforms.

    Under the deal, MTV is also able to participate in a revenue sharing structure. This game does not enable wagering with real money. Myelin Media states that the promotional power of MTV and its ability to integrate across various platforms allows Myelin Media to bring Stacked and the poker phenomenon to a truly diverse audience. Through the various planned MTV / Stacked co-branded initiatives on-air and online M,yelin Media will be able to give players the opportunity to enjoy poker in a whole, new way all from the comfort of their homes.

    Stacked with Daniel Negreanu claims to be the first video game to bring next-generation gameplay and broadcast quality production to Texas Hold ’em Poker. Participants can learn everything from the fundamentals to advanced strategies from poker’s premiere player and refine your game against the world’s most advanced artificial intelligence system before testing your skills in massive online tournaments.

    Stacked will feature its own sanctioned multi-table tournament system called Stacked Masters” and will also include involvement from the seven professional players associated with the game, providing the most in-depth online play and community experience for any poker video game. Through MTV.com, players will be able to participate in the official Stacked sanctioned online tournaments including special challenges with the pros as well as view tournament standings and game play stats.

    MTV.com will also host a community where Stacked players can share and compare their game play, challenge other players and interact with the pros. This initiative with Myelin for Stacked further extends MTV.com’s coverage of Video Games and follows the recent launch of Video Games on MTV.com — a focused home for Gamers on MTV.com.

    MTV Games is dedicated to incubating, producing and promoting unique and creative gaming experiences that resonate with MTV’s audience. MTV Games will work in-house through its newly created interactive entertainment studio, along with industry partners, to produce and market original video game titles. MTV Games will develop original game franchises in partnership with independent game developers. In addition, the division will forge strategic marketing partnerships with game publishers to connect with the MTV audience across multiple platforms. MTV will work closely with publishers, leveraging its unique brand and marketing capabilities to maximise the success of each MTV Games release.