BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.,
April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz
launched today "Da Vinci's Demons: Citizens of Florence" ("Citizens of Florence"), a second screen application for
iPad users designed to be enjoyed throughout the upcoming premiere
season of the new STARZ Original series, "Da Vinci's Demons."
"Citizens of Florence" is a
"Da Vinci's Demons" show companion, offering a unique,
complementary viewing experience that enriches the premium and
commercial-free original series. "Citizens of Florence" is available as a free download
exclusively in the App Store.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080522/LATH063LOGO-b)
In a world where thought and faith are controlled, Leonardo Da Vinci will fight to set knowledge
free. Viewers can join Da Vinci in his quest as the "Citizens of
Florence" app dynamically unlocks
fantastic interactive content in real-time or they can choose to
sit back and enjoy the episode, while exploring unlocked content
through the eyes of a citizen of Florence after the show. Based on the
character you select – an artist, banker, etc.- the experience and
access to exclusive artifacts within Florence will vary.
"Da Vinci's Demons" premieres exclusively on STARZ on
Friday, April 12th at
10:00 PM ET/PT following the
"Spartacus: War of the Damned" series finale. Future episodes will
debut Fridays on STARZ at 9:00 PM
ET/PT.
"Citizens of Florence" was
created by Starz in partnership with And Company.
(www.andcompany.com).
"With the 'Da Vinci's Demons' app, we explored the second screen
opportunity in a fresh way and one that is specific to our brand
proposition about creating immersive worlds," said Kelly Bumann, Senior Vice President of Digital
Marketing for Starz. "As a commercial-free premium programming
provider, we are focused on having the app extend the show's
experience and enhance the story, not disrupt it."
"Second screen apps have historically amplified engagement
around a show through social media or community activities. Starz
wanted to step outside that mold to create something that builds
upon the show and has a longer shelf life than a solely synchronous
experience," said Erin Dwyer,
Executive Director of Digital Marketing for Starz. "By taking that
approach, and incorporating ground-breaking audio syncing
technology from mufin, 'Citizens of Florence' delivers a truly premium,
non-disruptive experience."
How it Works
"Citizens of Florence"
incorporates state of the art audio fingerprinting technology into
the application. Interactive content on iPad is thus
triggered through audio syncing with the dialogue of the series and
thus preserves and enriches the content of the original series
without spoiling or disrupting the chronology of the show.
"Citizens of Florence" is
unique in that its users are empowered to choose their own
personalized second screen path, without being forced into a
synchronous experience or necessarily having their premium viewing
disrupted.
While most of the interactive content is triggered by the
progression of each episode of "Da Vinci's Demons," users have the
ability to catch up and access the interactive content for a
particular episode at any time by download after premiere using the
Manual Sync option.
Working beyond just the linear premiere, the iPad app is built
to support all types of viewing platforms and experiences
including: live STARZ audiences, time-shifted STARZ DVR users,
binge viewing on platforms such as STARZ ON DEMAND and STARZ PLAY,
and ultimately Blu-ray/DVD. Additionally, the app will
continue to engage users long after the series completion with the
vast amounts of unlocked content.
More than one hour of custom video content from approximately 50
videos created during production of "Da Vinci's Demons" in
Wales.
Exclusive content includes:
- Videos: Inventions, scene pulls, interviews with Series Creator
David S. Goyer, Dr. Findlen of Stanford
- historian videos, and deleted scenes
- 360-degree views of da Vinci's inventions
- Over 80 show elements, artifacts, characters and props
- 24 panoramic environments and locations to explore
- 8 mini games, one per episode, that once mastered, unlock
exclusive content on the featured da Vinci
invention
Cutting Edge Audio Syncing Technology
"Da Vinci's Demons Citizens of Florence" offers audio syncing technology that
will be used for the first time in the
United States with the Starz new second screen app. Devised
by mufin (www.mufin.com), the audioid in-app recognition does the
fingerprinting and matching right on the mobile/tablet device
without needing to send any signals to a remote server and wait for
results; everything takes place local to the user's device. This is
unique from similar solutions and why the accuracy and short
recognition periods via mufin are exceptional.
iOS Platform
- The app is a touch-heavy, interactive experience built entirely
on the iOS
- Available for use on the iPad 2 and up, with an operating
system of 5.1 and up
- iPad functionality is utilized to move elements in the app,
long-taps, swiping, and the microphone
- The "Da Vinci's Demons: Citizens of Florence" App is available for free from
the App Store on iPad or at www.AppStore.com
About "Da Vinci's Demons"
"Da Vinci's Demons," follows the "untold" story of the world's
greatest genius, Leonardo da Vinci,
during his turbulent youth in Renaissance Florence.
"Da Vinci's Demons" will star Tom
Riley, who has received wide critical acclaim in the UK for
his performances in theater, film and on television and was
nominated by the Drama Desk Awards for his performance in the 2011
Tony® Award nominated Broadway play, "Arcadia." Riley's co-stars include
Laura Haddock (The Inbetweeners
Movie, "Honest," Captain America: The First Avenger) who
plays the celebrated beauty with obscure motives, Lucrezia Donati; Elliot
Cowan ("Marchlands," "The Fixer," "Lost in Austen") who
plays the shrewd de facto ruler of Florence, Lorenzo
Medici; Lara Pulver ("True
Blood," "Sherlock," "Robin Hood")
who plays his wife Clarice Orsini;
and Blake Ritson (Serena,
"Upstairs Downstairs") who plays the ruthless and unwavering Count
Girolamo Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV.
"Da Vinci's Demons" comes from the mind of David S. Goyer, co-writer of the blockbuster and
critically-acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy, writer of the
highly anticipated Man of Steel and story editor for "Call
of Duty: Black Ops," and "Black Ops II," the most successful video
game franchise of all time.
Julie Gardner is Executive
Producer, along with Jane Tranter,
head of Adjacent Productions, a label launched in 2012 that sits
within BBC Worldwide Productions.
Join the conversation at: #CitizensofFlorence,
#DaVincisDemons.
About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading
integrated global media and entertainment company with operating
units that provide premium subscription video programming on
domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global
content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television
and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.
Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription
video programming through the flagship STARZ® and
ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original
programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors,
including cable operators, satellite television providers, and
telecommunications companies. As of December 31, 2012, STARZ and ENCORE serve a
combined 56 million subscribers, including 21 million at STARZ, and
35 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium
flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ® and
ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks' third network
MOVIEPLEX®, air over 1,000 movies monthly across
17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated
online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX
PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires
entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on
DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz
Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution
business units distribute original programming content produced by
Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third
parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie
content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences
worldwide.
SOURCE Starz