CBS and EQAL Team Up for First-of-Its-Kind Partnership to Create Integrated TV and Online Shows

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, May. 14 /PRNewswire/ --

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- CBS and EQAL today announced a partnership to create and produce multi-platform television, online and mobile entertainment for existing and future CBS television productions.

The collaboration between EQAL, the social entertainment company founded by Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried, creators of the Web's two most successful interactive drama series lonelygirl15 and KateModern, and CBS, will materialize in several ways. The partnership, while non-exclusive, gives CBS a "first look" in terms of collaborating on new multi-platform show concepts developed by EQAL. In addition, EQAL will act as a consulting partner to CBS to help create experiences that extend the narrative of its television shows to online and mobile platforms.

Under the terms of the partnership, EQAL will work closely with CBS television writers at the script and production level to write, produce and direct online narratives that tie directly into the television series and promote the network telecasts.

"This partnering signals CBS's attention to the Web as a new medium across both Interactive and the Network," said Quincy Smith, President, CBS Interactive. "EQAL is at the forefront of developing and applying content online. CBS is thrilled to add their talents and energy into the mix as we create CBS show experiences for the Web."

Miles Beckett, CEO of EQAL added, "Until now, online content associated with TV shows has had virtually no real connection to the show's narrative experience. What CBS and EQAL are coming together to create is groundbreaking and will be the first time that television stories will be extended and amplified online in a way that takes full advantage of the Internet's capabilities for interaction and community. The extended narratives online will give fans and viewers the opportunity for a whole new level of engagement both in between airings of the TV episodes and as standalone plot lines."

In addition to consulting with CBS writing teams and jointly producing online brand extensions for existing shows, EQAL will also build and provide the entire technology infrastructure to host the online show components.

"This agreement takes us one step further into the multi-platform future with our television content serving as a spring board to create storytelling experiences that are entertaining and meaningful to the audience, valuable for the advertiser and revenue generating for our company," said Nancy Tellem, President, CBS Paramount Television Network Television Entertainment Group. "We think the innovators at EQAL combined with the creators of our television content offers great entertainment potential for the digital world and added promotional opportunity for our television series."

EQAL is the world's leading producer of online interactive shows, having paved the way with lonelygirl15 and KateModern. Collectively the two series have attracted more than 150 million views and hundreds of thousands of fans around the world. EQAL's success stems from its approach to the Internet as a completely new and different entertainment medium. EQAL weaves together the best elements of traditional storytelling and video production with interactive experiences that are native to the Web in order to build passionate online communities.

About CBS

CBS Corporation is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and The CW - a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), cable television (Showtime and CSTV Networks), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS Television Distribution), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS Interactive), music (CBS Records), licensing and merchandising (CBS Consumer Products), video/DVD (CBS Home Entertainment), in-store media (CBS Outernet) and motion pictures (CBS Films). For more information, log on to http://www.cbscorporation.com/.

About EQAL

EQAL (pronounced "Equal") is a social entertainment company dedicated to changing the way content is consumed. Merging technology with creative development and production expertise, EQAL is a leader in the creation of truly interactive shows. Formerly known as LG15 Studios/Telegraph Ave. Productions, the company produces the two most successful online interactive dramas: lonelygirl15 and KateModern. Through partnerships with independent producers, traditional media companies, and multi-national brands, EQAL is dedicated to building online communities that engage users like never before. EQAL is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in London. For more information: http://www.eqal.com.