USA Network's 'Nashville Star' Harnesses Social Media

Combining mobile marketing with real-time consumer-generated media, USA Network has tapped a Web 2.0 startup named Juice Wireless to promote the fifth season of its talent-search series "Nashville Star."

Using JuiceCaster--a service that lets users instantly post photos and video taken with mobile devices online--the show's 10 finalists are being encouraged to capture as much of their experience competing for a record deal as possible. After it's screened by USA, the footage is then posted online, and even sent directly to willing fans' mobile phones. The eight-episode season began last week.

With the deal, USA is hoping to further engage existing fans of the show, according to Chris McCumber, senior vice president, marketing and brand strategy for USA Network.

"Now, fans spend an hour with the show," said McCumber. "We want the other 23 hours of their days."

For its part, Juice Wireless is not receiving any money from the deal, instead hoping that the brand presence boosts the profile of its services.

"We're hoping this deal with create new opportunities, especially with other NBC properties," said Nick Desai, founder and chairman of Juice Wireless.

Since the company's launch in 2004, other media partners have included AOL, Condé Nast, Teen Vogue magazine, Glamour magazine, Allure magazine, The Gillette Company, Sony Connect and Transworld Entertainment.

The JuiceCaster service allows for handset-to-handset, handset-to-PC, and PC-to-handset distribution of consumer-generated content.

Visitors to the "Nashville Star" Web site can subscribe to a particular contestant's MediaBox channel, and can be notified when new posts are uploaded, via text-message. Fans can then view that contestant's content on their cell phone screens, or by visiting their own MediaBoxes online.

Desai said Juice has several deals in the works, which he expects to announce shortly.

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