--Viewers Invited to Participate in "Virtual Carol Singing Experiment"
UK commercial terrestrial broadcaster, ITV (note: the name stands for "Independent Television Network), and video-sharing site, YouTube, are teaming on an interactive Christmas promotion for ITV's flagship daytime show, "This Morning."
The promotion, which kicked off Monday, sees "This Morning" hosts, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and singer Jonathan Ansell, inviting viewers to join them in what ITV calls a "virtual carol singing experiment." In order to participate, viewers must video themselves singing the carol, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," and upload their performance to "This Morning's" YouTube channel (youtube.com/thismorning). Then, throughout December, "This Morning" will showcase the most entertaining performances, and the show's production team will work with Ansell to select which participating viewers should be part of a "virtual choir." The virtual choir will be featured during a special "This Morning" Christmas edition on December 23rd, in which Ansell will perform live in the studio with the virtual choir's members accompanying him and appearing via what ITV promises will be an "impressive" video montage backdrop. "We know from all the correspondence we receive that 'This Morning's' audience are some of the most lively and creative viewers around so we decided to give them a Christmas treat!," ITV.com's senior editor for daytime and factual, Helen Pendlebury, said in a prepared statement. "It's the first time a virtual choir has been tried in this way in the UK and we're delighted to be working with YouTube to let their talents shine." Added ITV Studios' head of daytime, Sue Walton, who is also executive producer of "This Morning": "More people are watching 'This Morning' and visiting our new Web site. We love creating content which enables viewers to take part in the show in different ways. This is the first major event of its kind and there are more to come in 2010."
Detailed instructions on how to participate are available on "This Morning's" Web site.
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