Microsoft Launches Xbox TV Series Contest
Microsoft is letting fans take a crack a producing their very own TV show on the Xbox Live network under a new contest.
The company is teaming up with the New York Television Festival to host a contest seeking user-generated content for Xbox Live, in which consumers create a comedy pilot that could be made into an original series on the online gaming and entertainment network.
Fans that enter the contest create a five- to 15-minute pilot episode introducing an original television series. Each pilot can include live action, animation or both. One top winner gets a $100,000 budget and the chance for a six-episode commitment to air the series on Xbox Live.
The winning pilot will debut this fall at New York’s third annual television festival. Details on the Xbox Live Originals contest are available at NewYorkTelevisionFestival.com/2007_contests_xbox.htm
“This is an incredible opportunity for us to participate in the festival, and we are thrilled to be able to bring community-created TV content to the Xbox community for the first time,” said Bill Nielsen, senior director of Xbox Live at Microsoft, in a statement.
The promotion marks the first time user-created entertainment content will be available globally for download on Xbox Live, Microsoft said. Already, the network is home to more than 1,500 hours of full-length films and TV series in the U.S.
“The New York Television Festival has always strived to give artists opportunities to get their voices heard in the industry, and we think that showcasing their work on the Xbox 360 will give our artists unprecedented exposure,” said founder Terence Gray, in a statement.
Online materials support the contest, which runs through June 29.
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