MUMBAI: Reliance Entertainment and Playtone have tied up with Internet major Yahoo! for Tom Hanks‘ multi-dimensional animated series ‘Electric City‘.
As the exclusive online broadcast home for ‘Electric City‘, Yahoo! will bring Hanks‘ vision and storytelling this year to a global audience.
Reliance Group vice chairman Amitabh Jhunjhunwala said, "Electric City is the first of its kind, a clutter-breaking, global 360 digital project. Working with Tom and Playtone has been an amazing experience and this series could not have been possible without Tom‘s vision and creativity. We also feel that with its reach and technology, Yahoo! is the best distribution partner for this project. ‘Electric City‘ reinforces Reliance‘s commitment to invest and innovate in the global entertainment industry. We will continue to create more global and multi-platform digital projects involving top Hollywood talent."
Set in a futuristic society, ‘Electric City‘ is a new 90- minute action-packed sci-fi adventure series, and marks Yahoo!‘s first foray into original scripted programming. ‘Electric City‘ was created by and stars Tom Hanks.
Yahoo! executive VP Americas Ross Levinsohn said, "‘Electric City‘ is a thought-provoking and engaging series and we are thrilled to be partnering with Playtone and Reliance Entertainment to bring Tom Hanks‘ vision to the world on Yahoo! for the first time. ‘Electric City‘ is so much more than just an online video series -- it is an interactive and immersive experience from one of the world‘s biggest stars and premier storytellers.
"Yahoo! has clearly established itself as the go-to destination for big events and breaking news and we are focused on providing the best digital canvas for the world‘s greatest storytellers to create, develop and showcase their visions. ‘Electric City‘ is further proof that we want to set the bar in premium online content and be the global home for groundbreaking ventures from the world‘s best-known and next-generation artists."
‘Electric City‘ will be shown as a multi-part series on Yahoo!, and will be supported by a deeply immersive and interactive online experience that enhances the drama, mystery and intrigue of the series.
Playtone‘s Gary Goetzman said, "It was always our intent to have this project live and breathe online and we felt Yahoo! would be the perfect home."
Yahoo!‘s interactive and social features will allow viewers to:
-- Navigate non-linearly and learn more about the world of "Electric City" through a 3-D interactive map
-- Dig deeper into character back-stories and learn about the cast behind the characters‘ voices
-- Watch exclusive behind-the-scenes footage
-- Post reactions and commentary directly to Facebook and Twitter
-- Engage members of their social networks in discussions and debates about societal themes, events and characters and/or join the larger "Electric City" community discussion
-- Engage in casual games and other content related to the series
‘Electric City‘ will also live across multiple devices and comes enabled for tablet and connected TV. The series will be punctuated by special events, such as opportunities to watch exclusive content and to interact with the cast and creators.
The series will also be available in numerous languages, including French and Spanish.
With 700 million users worldwide, Yahoo! provides the massive scale that Hollywood is looking for.
‘Electric City‘ complements Yahoo!‘s portfolio of original online premium video programming which provides marketers with the opportunity to align their brands with premium content across the Yahoo! network.
