As
expected, Anheuser-Busch is launching a Web-based branded entertainment platform. The service, Bud.TV, will
go live next February after the Super Bowl and will offer live and on-demand programs from a range of outside content providers. The company says that content will include sporting events, celebrity
interviews, music downloads and consumer-generated content. Bud.TV could feature up to seven channels accessible from its portal, each dedicated to a specific genre. Some content providers are already
inked, including Wild West Picture Show Productions, the outfit behind a Vince Vaughan documentary; Kevin Spacey's TriggerStreet.com, which is expected to provide short films from promising auteurs;
and @radical.media, which produced "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster." More providers are expected. DDB Worldwide will manage and produce the Web network. Jim Schumacher, former vp-creative
development, will head the new digital marketing team overseeing Bud.TV. Schumacher reports to longtime marketing heavyweight Tony Ponturo, vice president-global media and sports marketing, on the
project. -- David Goetzl
