itvt

Digital Rights Group-subsidiary, i-Rights–a company which
specializes in the financing, development and distribution of
cross-media programming and which is headed up by Justin Judd, the
former controller of interactive media at Granada–has signed a
two-year deal with Canadian production company, The Nightingale
Company, that will see i-Rights distributing worldwide a new, 48-part
online series and Alternate Reality Game aimed at teens. Entitled “Do
You Believe Me?,” the new show is billed as “tak[ing] its users into the
real world along with series characters.” It tells the story of a
17-year-old girl called Maya who, through recurring nightmares,
becomes convinced that she and her family are in grave danger.
Through daily clues in her life, she is prompted to seek help online:
according to i-Rights and Nightingale, people who sign up to
participate in the show can watch videos and take part in a game that
takes them and the series characters into the real world to help find
answers via email, voice telephony, SMS and blogs. Alternate reality
Web sites add “unparalleled depth” to the show’s story, the companies
say.

The new series is a co-venture between The Nightingale Company and
beActive, the Portuguese company behind the interactive show,
“Sofia’s Diary,” which is currently available both on social network,
Bebo, and on the UK’s Fiver TV. According to the companies, the team
behind “Sofia’s Diary,” including Nuno Bernardo, has been closely
involved in the development and creation of “Do You Believe Me?,”
and the companies are currently collaborating on a number of similar
interactive productions. “This is a groundbreaking deal and we’re
delighted to be working with the leading players in the emerging short-
form content production sector,” i-Rights’ Justin Judd said in a prepared
statement. “By providing multiple layers of content and interaction, ‘Do
You Believe Me?’ moves the form on and provides an immersive and
engaging experience for the target audience as well as a range of
integrated marketing opportunities for brands and advertisers.” Added
beActive’s Nuno Bernardo: “This is not another video series
Web-casted over the Internet. It’s a truly interactive experience based
on concepts of social networking, participation and creative
contribution.”