SyFy's Haven Series Launches Full Integrated Twitter Story 8/12

Syfy's popular series Haven will become the first television series to create a storyline that flows between the show itself and the micro-blogging servIce Twitter when it launches a special seven-episode arc beginning Friday, August 12, at 10PM (ET/PT).

"The Haven writers and producers have done an amazing job of crafting a story line that seamlessly moves between the TV show and Twitter," said Craig Engler, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Syfy Digital. "Although there have been simple integrations before, no one has fully and organically integrated Twitter into the fabric of the show in the way Haven is doing. If you watch Haven and use Twitter, you're in for a real treat."

In the story, Vince (Richard Donat) and Dave (John Dunsworth), who run the newspaper in Haven, join Twitter as newcomers to the medium. Viewers who follow their characters (@VinceHaven, @DaveHaven) will see them interact with a mysterious Twitter user (@ColdInHaven) who knows more about Haven - and Vince and Dave - than anyone should.

Said Executive Producer Lloyd Segan: "Although Twitter has been featured in TV shows before, this is the first time a storyline from a television series has been fully integrated with the popular online service. The story has been created in such a way that viewers who don't follow the Twitter plot can still enjoy the show. For those that do, there will be a special meaning to events in Haven during these seven episodes."

As the special plot unfolds on Twitter, viewers will catch glimpses of it in the show itself, where they'll be directed to follow the Twitter conversation through special promos. The outcome to the Twitter story will be revealed in the second-season finale on Friday, September 30.

"Twitter has become the default platform for TV fans to talk, in real-time, about the shows they love," said Robin Sloan, manager of media partnerships at Twitter. "Syfy has embraced that conversation, and now it's breaking new ground with this Haven storyline. It incorporates Twitter more deeply into the show's plot than anything we've ever seen before."

Viewers can follow the story on Twitter with the hashtag #HavenNews as well as on www.syfy.com/haven.

Syfy and Twitter will be working together during the seven-week event to measure viewer engagement around the Haven Twitter storyline. The findings will be shared in an online case study, with best practices for any network to use when integrating Twitter directly into a storyline.

Now in its second season, Haven, starring Emily Rose, is based on The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King. The series follows FBI agent Audrey Parker (Rose), who takes up residence in the small town of Haven, Maine, and soon discovers the town's many secrets.

A longtime refuge for people with an eclectic range of supernatural abilities, Haven also holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of Audrey's lost past. Among the townspeople are Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant), a handsome local cop with his own supernatural affliction, and Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour), a smuggler and reluctant aide in solving Haven's troubles.

From leading independent producer Entertainment One, Haven is co-commissioned by Shaw Media in Canada and globally via Universal Networks International (UNI).

The creative team behind Haven includes Executive Producers John Morayniss (Hung, Goodnight for Justice) and Noreen Halpern (Call Me Fitz, Rookie Blue) from eOne Television, and David MacLeod (Legends of the Fall, The Ray Bradbury Theater) of Big Motion Pictures, who are joined by Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, Scott Shepherd (Stephen King's The Dead Zone) and Matt McGuiness (Journeyman) as well as Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn (Stephen King's The Dead Zone), who also developed the series.

Haven is produced by Entertainment One and Big Motion Pictures in association with Piller/Segan/Shepherd and airs on Syfy in the U.S., Showcase in Canada and internationally on UNI's multiple Syfy Universal channels. Entertainment One controls the worldwide distribution rights to the one-hour series and concluded a deal with Germany's Tele M?nchen Group (TMG) for the television rights in Continental Europe.

About Syfy

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com) and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 99 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

About Entertainment One

Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company's comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 20,000 film and television titles, 2,400 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.

About Universal Networks International

Universal Networks International, the global channels division of NBCUniversal, is one of the world's premier entertainment networks, delivering quality content and compelling brands to over 387 million subscribers in over 150 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia. The portfolio includes the brands - Syfy Universal, DIVA Universal, Studio Universal, Universal Channel and 13th Street Universal and now also, with the acquisition by Comcast Corporation, E! Entertainment Television, The Style Network and Golf Channel. These brands deliver a full range of entertainment experiences to local audiences across the globe. Universal Networks International also operates Movies 24 and has an interest in the KidsCo joint venture. Universal Networks International is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

About Shaw Communications Inc.

Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified communications and media company, providing consumers with broadband cable television, High-Speed Internet, Home Phone, telecommunications services (through Shaw Business), satellite direct-to-home services (through Shaw Direct) and engaging programming content (through Shaw Media). Shaw serves 3.4 million customers, through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw Media operates one of the largest conventional television networks in Canada, Global Television, and 19 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, History Television and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (TSX: SJR.B) (NYSE: SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.

 

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