Breaking Bad Fans Get Their Fix Online Prior to Premiere

Breaking Bad Fans Get Their Fix Online Prior to Premiere

AMC and Sony Pictures Television Team Up to Debut Exclusive Web Content

Five Original Minisodes, An Interactive Personalized Viral Video and Breaking Bad Season One Premieres on 'The Minisode Network'

CULVER CITY, Calif., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and AMC announced today that they are giving fans of the Emmy(R) Award-winning series Breaking Bad three different ways to get a dose of the series online, prior to the show's second season premiere on the network, Sunday, March 8th at 10PM EST. Five original, standalone minisodes premiere online; "Walt's Warning," a customized viral video featuring Bryan Cranston launches; and all seven episodes from the critically-acclaimed series' first season are adapted into 5-7 minute bite-sized episodes and made available via SPT's The Minisode Network. All three offerings provide additional ways in which fans may experience Breaking Bad beyond just AMC's linear tv channel.

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"The Breaking Bad audience is equally comfortable getting their entertainment on the web as they are with watching tv," said Linda Schupack, SVP Marketing for AMC. "These webisodes create different experiences of the series that reach these multiple audiences in ways that resonate best for them and in so doing, generate more interest and buzz."

"These digital extensions offer new viewers a non-traditional opportunity to fall in love with a show that critics have been raving about, while still appealing to the show's existing fan base. It's an added bonus that we're able to leverage the studio's existing digital network to get the content out to fans," said Tal Rabinowitz, Vice President, Comedy Development and Digital Development and Programming for Sony Pictures Television.

On Tuesday, February 17th, five original minisodes, each 3-5 minutes in length, launch online at www.amctv.com and Crackle.com (www.crackle.com/breakingbad). Vince Gilligan, Kate Powers, and Gennifer Hutchinson each wrote one of the minisode scripts, while Suzanne Potts wrote two; John Shiban directs all five. The original minisodes feature Breaking Bad's regular cast in storylines that include: a flashback to Hank's (Dean Norris) pre-wedding jitters leaves Walt (Bryan Cranston) talking his brother-in-law off the figurative ledge; Walt (Bryan Cranston) panics when he realizes Skyler (Anna Gunn) has sold their vacuum cleaner, which houses his drug earnings; and a behind-the-scenes look at Jesse's (Aaron Paul) music video with his group, "Twaughthammer."

Also on February 17th, Sony Pictures Television and AMC launch "Walt's Warning," (www.waltswarning.com) a personalized viral experience brought to fruition by SPT's marketing team as a follow-up to Breaking Bad's season one viral video effort. The breakthrough video features Walt (Cranston) interacting directly with users. Viewers are dragged back to Walt's Winnebago, and are able to choose their own adventure from four different outcomes based on where they choose to navigate within the video. Users can choose to customize the experience for their friends by personalizing the video, or log in via Facebook Connect to send "Walt's Warning" to their Facebook friends that includes automatic customization. "Walt's Warning" is also available at amctv.com and Crackle.com.

Finally, those looking for an abbreviated way to check out the series can enjoy Breaking Bad's first season on SPT's The Minisode Network starting Friday, March 6, 2009. The Minisode Network is the premiere multi-platform network for the minisode: 5-minute adaptations of favorite television shows that retain the full story arc of the episode. That same day, these and the five original minisodes are available via SPT's The Minisode Network on other online and mobile partners.

Bite-sized episodes of Breaking Bad's first season will be available on The Minisode Network on Crackle, YouTube (www.youtube.com/minisodenetwork), MySpace (www.myspace.com/minisodenetwork), AOL Video, Hulu, Adobe Media Player, Sling, TV.com, Veoh, and on mobile at Verizon Wireless' V CAST Video service and Sprint TV.

Breaking Bad's second season premieres Sunday, March 8 at 10 PM on AMC and follows Walt White (Bryan Cranston), a milquetoast high school chemistry teacher who discovers he is dying of lung cancer. Desperate to secure his family's financial future, Walt teams up with a former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to turn a used RV into a mobile drug lab. The bold and suspenseful drama also stars Anna Gunn ("Deadwood") as White's pregnant wife Skyler; RJ Mitte ("Hannah Montana") as White's teenaged son, whose angst is further complicated by his cerebral palsy; Dean Norris ("Little Miss Sunshine") who portrays Hank, Walt's brother-in-law and a federal drug enforcement agent; and Betsy Brandt ("CSI") as Hank's kleptomaniac wife.

In 2008, Breaking Bad received two Emmy(R) Awards for lead actor Bryan Cranston and the series' editor Lynne Willingham. Breaking Bad was also recognized as one of the top 10 programs of the year by the American Film Institute (AFI), and Vince Gilligan was recognized with a Writer's Guild Award (WGA) for the show's pilot episode. The series is produced by High Bridge Productions, Inc. and Gran Via Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television for AMC.

Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment for network and cable television, as well as first-run and off-network series for syndication. With more than 25 programs on the air, SPT boasts a program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. SPT also owns one-half of cable channel GSN and is a partner in FEARnet, the premier horror/thriller website and VOD service. Sony Pictures Television oversees all of Sony Pictures Entertainment's (SPE) domestic digital distribution efforts across all electronically delivered platforms, including the internet and mobile. Sony Pictures Television, advertiser sales, is one of the premiere national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in SPT syndicated series as well as in all of SPE's digital businesses in the United States, for Sony Music Entertainment and for the Tennis Channel, and is part owner of national media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT (www.sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

About AMC

AMC is a multi-platform network that celebrates classic movies and high-quality scripted series. Among the elite services available in nearly 94 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC defines what it means to be a classic movie network today, creating a distinctive viewing experience that celebrates all that is enduringly cool, personal and powerfully relevant about movies. AMC's comprehensive library of popular movies strike a meaningful chord with its audience, and its critically-acclaimed slate of originals all have a cinematic quality that allow them to complement and be complemented by some of the best movies of all time. AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, WE tv and Sundance Channel. AMC is THE FUTURE OF CLASSIC.

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Source: Sony Pictures Television

CONTACT: Lisa Rogen, +1-917-542-6216, L1Rogen@rainbow-media.com, for
AMC; or Karen Barragan of Sony Pictures Television, +1-310-244-6467,
Karen_Barragan@spe.sony.com

Web Site: http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment