(12 September 2007 5:25 pm)

MUMBAI: Studio 2.0, the original programming, digital production arm of the Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG), has begun production on 23 new shortform series projects for broadband and wireless, with additional programming in active development.

The new projects – from Jim Henson Productions, Telepictures Productions, Warner Bros. Animation and film & television director/producer McG, as well as fast-rising comedians Joey & David, videogame/film/television producer Jason Hall and cutting-edge artist Alex Pardee, among others – reflect WBTVG’s creative strategy for Studio 2.0, to showcase new artistic voices, provide creative opportunities for established talent in the broadband/wireless space and serve as an incubator for new television series.

Studio 2.0 programming will be distributed across a variety of broadband and wireless platforms and sites, often in partnership with advertisers, as WBTVG pursues an aggressive, wide-ranging networked distribution strategy.

Studio 2.0 is teaming up with The Jim Henson Company and RealNetworks for the launch of three new, live-action series which fuse comedy catering to a more adult audience with puppets. Simian Undercover Detective Squad is a 1970s-style comedy following a group of ape detectives on their daily beat. Adult Puppet Improv combines the best elements of Avenue Q and Whose Line Is It Anyway? and features characters interacting with the show’s host and a live audience, performing improvisational scenes through the help of multiple puppeteers – including Oscar winner Brian Henson – allowing online fans to view the show from a variety of angles.

Finally, Studio 2.0 and Henson are developing a Big Brother/Real World-style puppet reality competion series. All three projects will be created exclusively for the RealNetworks’ SuperPass, which gives viewers access to premium programming, advanced RealPlayer features, full-length movies and monthly music downloads, all in one subscription.

Studio 2.0 has signed a 10-project production commitment deal with fast-rising comedians Joey Manderino and David Young, creators of the eponymous web series at www.joeyanddavid.com. As part of the deal, WBTVG will take over management of joeyanddavid.com, expand its distribution and consumer awareness level, and increase advertiser sales opportunities.

The first project from the duo to go into production is Viral, a mockumentary which takes viewers behind the scenes of a fictional User Generated Content studio to meet a couple of frustrated writers, a petulant film crew and a few classically trained actors, who have all come together to create the next big amateur online hit. The second, Tastiburger, reveals that there may be something more at stake when customers decline to supersize their meals or skip dessert at the local fast food joint.

The debut series from Studio 2.0, Hardly News is an interactive comedy-news-game hybrid hosted by Chris Reed that shines a satirical light on news and pop culture, throwing a series of ever-changing games at online players who must tap into their knowledge of current events to prove their news acumen.

The series capitalises on the increasingly blurred line between hard and soft news, proving that fact is often funnier than fiction. With 13 episodes produced by Telepictures Productions, Hardly News premiered on Bud.TV in April 2007 and is in development for television.