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The CW is investing in its music brand.
The youth-skewing network has inked a three-year deal with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment to serve as the exclusive broadcast home of the iHeartRadio Music Festival and similar specials.
After airing two iHeartRadio specials during the 2012-13 season — including a Justin Timberlake hour — the CW has secured the festival it opened the fall with, iHeartRadio’s Holiday Jingle Ball and the iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party. The CW will also broadcast album release parties and other concert specials under the pact.
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“The CW is synonymous with what’s now and what’s next, and that includes music,” CW president Mark Pedowitz said. “We have always been known for using the hottest, most of-the-moment music, both on our shows and in our marketing campaigns. Partnering with Clear Channel to present the biggest concert events of the year for our viewers is a natural fit for us, and also gives us more original event programming throughout the year.”
The deal also gives the network the exclusive streaming rights to the television specials on CWTV.com following the broadcast.
“This is an ideal opportunity to take the original content that we create at Clear Channel to new platforms and audiences,” Clear Channel Entertainment Enterprises John Sykes noted. “We chose The CW as our partner because we share the same powerful connection to a highly influential young demographic.”
Under the pact, The CW will broadcast the following:
• The iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party, Monday, July 15, 8-10 p.m. The iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool party is a two-day musical weekend event at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, June 28-29, 2013, as part of the Fontainebleau’s BleauLive concert series, and will feature performances by popular recording artists Pitbull, Ke$ha, Afrojack, Icona Pop and Krewella.
• The iHeartRadio Music Festival, the two-day, start-studded music event returning to MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sept. 20 and 21. Artist lineup and a broadcast date will be announced in July.
• iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball, Clear Channel’s long-standing holiday concert franchise featuring the biggest names of the year in music with surprise superstar guests. Artist lineup and a broadcast date will be announced in the fall.
• iHeartRadio album release parties, Clear Channel’s new, breakout live music series featuring superstar artists performing their new music in front of a live audience and sharing behind-the-scenes stories on the eve of their album releases, and other concert events throughout the year.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
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