Publishers Clearing House Gets Hip To Online Video

screengrabPublishers Clearing House has leaped headfirst into Web 2.0.

The sweepstakes and magazine sales brand has launched PCHtv.com, an online video site where fans can watch as the sweepstakes grand prize winner is surprised by the company's Prize Patrol. The new site will go live at 7 p.m. tonight, right after the prize winner is announced during "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams."

PCHtv is the latest addition to Publishers Clearing House's growing network of online properties, which include PCHSearchandwin.com, a search engine that rewards users with gift cards, movie tickets and other prizes, and PCHGames.com, a casual games site where players compete for tokens. Viewers will find behind-the-scenes clips, past commercials and previously unseen winner reactions.

According to Todd Sloane, SVP, creative at Publishers Clearing House, bringing the well-known Prize Patrol commercials (and the ensuing winner reactions) to the Web makes perfect sense for a company that was one of the original purveyors of "reality" TV. "Publishers Clearing House has been a pioneer in the business of reality television for many years," Sloane said. "Our efforts have made it possible for America to witness countless reactions of prize winners in our well-known television advertising. Now, this iconic brand is moving online and extending this opportunity beyond the television and onto the computer screen."

Viewers can also enter to win an exclusive PCHtv.com prize after the SuperPrize winner's clip is shown. And in the coming months, fans will be able to upload their own videos showing how they would react if they became a sweepstakes winner.

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