MIPCOM 2012: Canada's CTV Orders First Digital Series for Interactive Platforms

1:27 AM PDT 10/9/2012 by Etan Vlessing

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The broadcaster commissioned eight 6-minute episodes of the live action narrative from Smokebomb Entertainment, to also launch as an app.

CANNES - Canadian broadcaster has ordered its first digital only series, Backpackers, from Smokebomb Entertainment.

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The live action scripted content, to be shot in Europe, will unroll across its digital platforms as eight 6-minute episodes.

The Backpackers comedy, from Shaftesbury Film’s digital production studio, follows best friends Ryan and Brandon on a wild goose chase across Europe in search of Ryan’s fiancée Beth.

The project marks the first stand-alone digital series for CTV and parent Bell Media, whose rival Rogers Media has an exclusive Canadian supply deal for digital series and content out of Michael Eisner’s Vuguru studio.

“Our order of Backpackers speaks to our strategy to conceive, commission, and deliver new and innovative stand-alone content to the full spectrum of Bell Media’s digital platforms, for advertisers and young audiences alike,” Mike Cosentino, senior vp of programming at CTV Networks, said Tuesday.

Backpackers will be offered as a app to coincide with the launch of the digital series.