For CBS’s Fall Season, Digital Is All About Companion Content

As TV gets back into gear for the fall season, there’s a fresh opportunity for digital initiatives. We’ve been chatting with our network and video platform contacts about what’s in store for viewers. Today, we’ll highlight CBS’ plans.

cbstweetsThe big difference for this fall season as compared to others is that TV shows and their web extensions have been coordinated dating way back to the upfronts earlier this year, reports Anthony Soohoo, SVP & GM, Entertainment & Lifestyle for CBS Interactive. “Now we’re at a sizeable factor that it becomes very important,” he said. Planning for timing, windowing, and coordinating advertising campaigns for different platform has actually been the “smoothest” it’s ever been, he said — echoing what we’ve heard from rival NBC. But in some ways, CBS is actually pulling back from online, in that it hasn’t ramped up for the fall with new original content productions and applications specific to platforms like mobile. On the contrary, it’s pushing out an array of show-specific games, microsites and apps that stretch across various platforms. Here’s what else is new:

HD: Like the rest of the industry, CBS has made major improvements in video quality over the past few years, and this fall will stream its shows in up to 1080p. Unlike some of its competitors (like ABC and Fox, who use Move Networks) CBS isn’t rolling out adaptive bitrate streaming, which dynamically adjusts video quality based on each watcher’s network and processor capacity, according to Soohoo. He said the technology is currently being tested in CBS Interactive’s labs, and could roll out later this fall after premieres are over. Update: CBS got in touch Thursday to say they ARE actually rolling out adaptive bitrate streaming with the fall premieres.

Games and microsites: Soohoo said CBS is pursuing online projects on a show-by-show basis. On a network-wide basis, lots of shows will be getting exclusive content extensions and many will have their actors participate in online chats on TV.com. Soohoo said much of these apps are being built in-house but some are with partners. Of many games, widgets, and apps CBS is planning for networks like Facebook, iGoogle and MySpace, here are a few:

  • The Amazing Race will have a “Been There Done That” microsite for fan uploads, set to launch at the end of this month. (Looks like this is a reprise of an online social effort from a few seasons ago.)
  • How I Met Your Mother fans get an app made with Adobe that will feature exclusive content from Barney’s (Neil Patrick Harris) “Bro Code.”
  • Survivor will be getting a video trivia game similar to “Scene It?” made out of archive clips from the show.
  • There will be an online contest for the Emmy Awards, with the winner crowned “America’s No. 1 TV Fan” and given a trip to the event.

Online originals: CBS is in step with its competitors in toning down web originals in favor of auxiliary content. While earlier this year the network had brought in web studio EQAL to create an original online series and community called Harper’s Globe built alongside its now-canceled show Harper’s Island, original shows are not part of the fall picture. Instead, new original content initiatives are site-specific for dedicated visitors to MoneyWatch.com and TV.com.

Twitter: At the beginning of the summer CBS pushed for its stars to Tweet about their characters and work on their shows. So for instance LL Cool J posted updates from the set of the new police procedural NCIS: Los Angeles. Soohoo said that starting this fall the network is planning some character-based fictional Twitters as well. You can find an live-updating list of all the CBS Twitter accounts here.

Mobile apps: None. Soohoo said that CBS is not planning any specific apps, but rather extending online experiences to mobile. “Whatever we build we’ll try to extend through different platforms,” is the new strategy. (This is what we heard from NBC as well.)

Look for another installment in our fall TV season online series later this week. Next up: Fox.

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