Anheuser-Busch intends to launch an online entertainment network containing at least seven types of TV-quality programming the day after the Super Bowl. Targeted at young men 21-34, many of the
offerings will be dedicated to sports, but will also include stand-up comedy and original series. "Replaced by a Chimp," for example, shows what happens when a chimp replaces a human in the workplace.
Another venture, "The Dating Game," is an online reality show that will begin casting calls in bars in November. Most of the shows will have an interactive component; "Bud Tube" lets consumers create
their own beer ads. A-B says it will not litter Bud.TV with its own advertising, but it will ensure that consumers understand it is responsible for the entertainment. It will spend "double-digit"
millions on the online push, with some of the money coming from its network and cable-TV broadcast ad budgets. "We are trying to follow consumers," says Jim Schumacher, the Anheuser-Busch creative
executive heading the project. The brewer says it will ask viewers to enter their birthdates to verify that they are of legal drinking age--a practice one advocate dubs "totally bogus and provides an
invitation to youngsters rather than a barrier."
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