A pioneer of online entertainment
FremantleMedia believes in the power of storytelling. Now we’re harnessing the power of the digital space - taking our world-renowned storytelling abilities to new platforms, deepening our engagement with the audience and working with brands to create new entertainment experiences.
Production teams and brand extension divisions within FremantleMedia combine to create innovative, engaging online experiences:
FremantleMedia Cross Platforms (FMX) is the company’s central new media division. FMX has oversight over FremantleMedia’s digital activities across the world, from locally produced programme extensions to online gaming to original online entertainment. In addition, FMX creates and produces award-winning branded digital entertainment, from powerful scripted dramas to thrilling reality shows, and explores new ways to tell our stories.
FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) is the commercial division of the company and extends both our own and third party brands into digital media.
talkbackTHAMES digital is a venture between talkbackTHAMES and FremantleMedia and combines two threads of digital excellence, meeting the demand from UK broadcasters in search of outstanding digital content.
Worldbeating online products
Our digital output includes brand licensing initiatives from programming hits such as Idols, The X Factor and The Price Is Right. In the U.S., for example, users can now vote on American Idol from within Facebook, while our multi-platform activities around The X Factor UK won a prestigious Broadcast Magazine Award in addition to receiving a BAFTA nomination. The X Factor UK’s online spin-off series, The F Factor, was recently nominated for an award at the Banff World Media Awards.
FremantleMedia has also taken a major stake in leading video games company Ludia in order to translate more of our intellectual properties into the expanding games market. The Price Is Right has already become a top selling game in its category on all formats, including Apple iPhone and iPod Touch and one of the most popular social games on Facebook.
Building on FremantleMedia’s core skills of creating innovative formats and story telling, FremantleMedia has created some award-winning original online content. Successes include:
SORTED (FMX) is a social media cooking community targeting the 18 – 30 demographic. SORTED are on a mission to show their generation that cooking can be fun, social, cheap and simple. Attracting thousands of new followers every month on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and a bespoke site, SORTED won the award for Best Online Program: Entertainment at the 2011 Banff World Media Awards.
Toyboize (talkbackTHAMES), which was nominated for a BAFTA in the Interactive Creative Category, is about the UK’s biggest child band – only now they are all grown up! The series moved to TV when it was picked up by UK broadcaster Dave.
Freak (FMX), a Banff Rockie Award-winning online drama aimed at MySpace UK’s 16-34 audience, features the story of Lucy, a tomboy gamer who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and transformation.
Secret Girlfriend (FME/FMNA) began life as a collection of shorts on our original comedy channel Atomic Wedgie. Comedy Central spotted Secret Girlfriend and went on to produce a series for television.
Breaking new ground
Screenpop is a multi-disciplinary team pushing the boundaries of audience participation on TV and new platforms, with a focus on two-screen entertainment. Currently available is Scoreboard, a Facebook-based game and show about football predictions, with more two-screen TV shows launching in autumn 2011