Ever wanted to win prizes watching "Martin Lawrence Presents: 1st Amendment Stand-Up" and "The Bronx Bunny Show" on your Xbox 360? Sure you did. Microsoft and Starz Media announced today they're giving out free episodes of these shows for Xbox Live, hoping to promote the new Starz store on the service.
Users who visit the partnership website between now and June 23rd will get the free eps, and be entered to win Xbox 360 consoles, video games and DVDs.
The Starz service launched in May, and in addition to these two series, it currently offers "Head Case" and "Tripping the Rift." Starz says that new seasons from these series will be announced for Live in the coming months, plus news shows like "Painkiller Jane" and "Crash," a TV series based on the movie.
Now's when I confess I've never heard of any of these TV shows. I rarely watch shows on Live - am I in the minority?
Full details follow the jump:
STARZ AND MICROSOFT LAUNCH SWEEPSTAKES
TO PROMOTE NEWLY LAUNCHED STARZ CHANNEL
ON XBOX LIVE
Prizes Include Xbox 360 Consoles, Games and DVDs;
Free Downloads Also AvailableNew York, NY – June 2, 2008 – Xbox LIVE members can receive free episodes of Starz original series "Martin Lawrence Presents: 1st Amendment Stand-Up" and "The Bronx Bunny Show," starting today, as part of a larger campaign aimed at promoting the new Starz storefront on the Xbox LIVE Video Store. The co-marketing initiative was announced by Mara Winokur, Starz Media vice president, digital media and business development.
Launched in mid-May, the Starz channel on Xbox 360 features original programming from Starz including "Martin Lawrence Presents: 1st Amendment Stand-Up," "The Bronx Bunny Show," and "Head Case," as well as the popular sci-fi animation series "Tripping the Rift." Additional seasons of these titles will be added in the next few months as will other series such as "Painkiller Jane" and the highly anticipated series "Crash," based on the Best Picture Oscar®-winning movie.
"The large, energized Xbox LIVE community is just the kind that will enjoy our original programming," said Stephan Shelanski, executive vice president, programming for Starz Entertainment. "The Xbox LIVE platform provides a unique opportunity for these programs to find new audiences, who may not already subscribe to our premium television services, as well as for fans to purchase and watch our programs in this new, innovative way."
"We are excited to be partnering with Starz Media to continue providing consumers with the best entertainment content out there," said Scott Nocas, global group marketing manager for Xbox LIVE. "This partnership serves as a great opportunity for us to offer Xbox LIVE members in the U.S. the chance to download this great content free of charge, which is something we know our community will be excited about."
"The launch of the Starz channel on Xbox LIVE has once again shown us that working with Xbox can be a win-win situation for both companies," Winokur said. "So it makes business sense for us to combine forces to promote both our content and the Xbox 360 platform."
Consumers who log on to www.StarzOnXbox.com can download the free episodes and/or enter the sweepstakes which runs through June 23. Three grand prize winners will receive Xbox 360 Consoles and several video games; other winners will receive DVDs from Starz Media's Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Xbox LIVE Video Store continues to grow as new partners and content are added to the service. The service currently offers more than 5,000 hours of premium entertainment content from 37 networks and studios, and is the leading high-definition VOD service in the industry.
Xbox LIVE Video Store content from Starz is available to all Xbox LIVE members in the U.S. More information is available online at www.xbox.com/tvmovies.
About Starz Media
Starz Media, LLC, is a programming, production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes the Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming – including theatrical films – and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad-supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the U.S. and internationally. Starz Media is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group, www.starz.com.