As the 2008 Olympic Games gears up in Beijing, NBC Universal has teamed with Chinese media conglomerate Xinhua Finance Media to create an animated home video series that will capitalize on the excitement of the games and promote them at the same time. The first installment of Ring Force Five will be released in the U.S. as an hour-long DVD prior to the start of the games.
Ring Force Five will revolve around five Olympic athletes from the future who travel back in time to experience the true essence and spirit of the games as they currently exist. Adventuring through defining Olympic moments, the youths are assisted by both ancient wisdom and advanced technology as they work to keep the Olympic flame burning forever bright.
“We are very proud that Small World has been chosen for this project,” says XFMedia CEO Fredy Bush. “We are looking forward to working closely with them and building a bridge to the major US sponsors involved with the Olympic Games and NBC. Our recent acquisition of Small World was specifically targeted for creating production and advertising revenue opportunities in the U.S., and we look forward to future collaborations with U.S. broadcasters and media companies.”
Ring Force Five is being produced through Xinhua’s Small World Television Ltd., in conjunction with NBC Olympics’ development arm, The Edison Project. Small World is a television programming and production consulting company based in Hong Kong with offices in Beijing and New York City. NBC Universial and Xinhua will cooperate in the creation, promotion, distribution, product merchandising, sponsored product placement and advertising sales related to the series. NBC Olympics and Small World will be responsible for the global marketing and merchandising of the DVD.
Xinhua Finance Media is one of China’s leading diversified financial and entertainment media companies. The entity reaches a wide audience through various TV and radio outlets, as well as newspapers, magazines and other distribution channels.
