ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) and Fremantle announce today the production of Balcony Stories, a slate of short-form content to celebrate the positive and creative ways people are experiencing this complicated situation.
The short-form series leverages user-generated content from both audience and talent, redefining the role of the users by transforming them into active storytellers and the protagonists of their shows.
Being locked down at home has turned into something real for the majority of people around the world. Still, if our house doors are closed, our eyes are wide open: all around the world, people have opened their balconies and their homes to share their special moments with us, and those moments are part of Balcony Stories.
Raffaele Annecchino, President of ViacomCBS Networks EMEAA, said, “At ViacomCBS, we have always been committed to reaching our audience everywhere and at any time. Now that we are living in this unprecedented situation, more than ever, we need to stay connected and close to our fans, helping them to stay positive. Balcony Stories was born with this spirit. During these months, our eyes have opened up as well as our imagination, our sense of humor, and the artist within us all. Sharing the fun and emotional stories that we are all living can underline even more the fact that we are still all together, reflecting the empathy, creativity, and positive vibes from around the world. With Balcony Stories, we want to celebrate this positive attitude.”
Premiering tomorrow on ViacomCBS Networks International’s linear channels MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Paramount Networks, BET and Spike, and on digital platforms across Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia, the new short-form series offers an exclusive look into our new lockdown life, with balconies transforming into windows that look into everyone’s homes during this unprecedented time. The content will be localized into 27 languages and will air across 130 countries and 100 channels, with four daily episodes airing Monday to Friday. A selection of the best content from the week will also be aired every Saturday in an extended edition.
Produced in collaboration with Fremantle with user-generated content, Balcony Stories will turn the viewers into the protagonists. Videos can show off the new daily routine, the sense of humor coming up from this situation, the relationships, the love, the artists within us all: everything that becomes a testament of how people from all around the world, from Japan to the Netherlands, are living this unique moment.
