Leading Tech Company Integrates Augmented Reality Technology in Campaign for Landmark Natural History Series
December 20 2016, Singapore — Blippar, a technology company building a visual discovery browser through artificial intelligence and augmented reality, and BBC Worldwide today announced their partnership to promote BBC’s latest ratings busting landmark natural history television series Planet Earth II – through a multimedia interactive experience.
Shot in UHD, Planet Earth II, presented by Sir David Attenborough, uses the latest camera stabilisation, remote recording and aerial drone technology to take audiences closer to nature and allows them to experience the wilderness as if they were there.
In the UK, the opening episode of Planet Earth II was the most watched natural history programme in the UK for more than 15 years; and in Singapore, and in Singapore, where it premiered on BBC Earth on 14 November, Planet Earth II led all factual programmes in its timeslot. BBC Earth also ranked number one in the factual channel set on the same day.*
The Blippar and BBC Worldwide partnership lets users experience life in all its wonder via the Blippar mobile app. Through an augmented reality experience, a total of 19 common objects (such as shoes, apples, roses, eyeglasses, and more) can be ‘blipped’ (scanned with the Blippar app) with unique content specific to this campaign. Once blipped, users unlock a short AR experience that leads them to Planet Earth II section within the app. This section delivers entertaining and educational facts about the animal’s diet, habitat and reveals the connection between the blipped object and the selected animals. The user can also see short videos from the landmark series Planet Earth II.
The collaboration allows audiences to experience authentic storytelling. “We’re very excited to be partnering with BBC Worldwide to bring the wildlife closer to everyone.” says Ambarish Mitra, co-founder & CEO at Blippar “AR fuses the digital world with the physical world around us and is an unparalleled tool for storytelling. This campaign is a perfect example as it extends the experience beyond the documentary by gamifying it and bringing the wildlife to people wherever they are.”
“When Planet Earth came out a decade ago, it transformed how viewers saw their planet. It was the first natural history series to be filmed in high definition, and it captivated a global audience of over half a billion people by giving them an unprecedented view of life on Planet Earth. The new Planet Earth II promises to give viewers the most immersive wildlife documentary experience to date. With Blippar’s unique visual discovery browser, fans will be able to engage and learn more about some of the Earth’s most iconic habitats featured in Planet Earth II in a unique way” said Julia Nocciolino, VP Brands, Asia, BBC Worldwide.
In Asia, Planet Earth II airs on BBC Earth channel which is available in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam.
The Blippar experience is available in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong in English, in Thailand in Thai and in Taiwan in Traditional Chinese. The Blippar app is available for free on Google Play and App stores.
*Source: StarHub SmarTAM. 14 Nov 2016. Individuals age 4+. Channel rating & share based on consolidated viewing.
Factual channel set: BBC Earth, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, Discovery Science, History, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Smithsonian Channel
Planet Earth II timeslot: 20:00-21:04, on 14 Nov 2016
Timeslot ranking: 06:00-25:59 and 20:00-21:04
Program logs: based on EPGs
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For more information, please contact:
Jeanne Leong
BBC Worldwide Asia
Tel: +65 6849 5292
Email: Jeanne.Leong@bbc.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
About BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Its vision is to build the BBC’s brands, audiences, commercial returns and reputation across the world. This is achieved through investing in, commercialising and showcasing content from the BBC around the world, in a way that is consistent with BBC standards and values. The business also champions British creativity globally.
In 2015/16 BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £133.8m and headline sales of £1,029.4m and returned £222.2m to the BBC.
For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review webpage: bbcworldwide.com/annual-review/.
About Blippar
Blippar, Inc. is a leading technology company specializing in augmented reality, artificial intelligence and computer vision. Its flagship product, Blippar™, is the leading augmented reality and visual search app. Utilizing proprietary, best-in-class technology, the Blippar app enables users to instantaneously discover more about the world around them. Using the Blippar app, people can blipp (“scan”) objects they’re curious about and unlock useful and entertaining content. Since launching in the UK in 2011, Blippar has expanded rapidly, partnering with some of the biggest and most exciting media owners and brands in the world — including Nestlé, Condé Nast, TIME Inc., Procter & Gamble, Kraft, Heinz, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Anheuser Busch, and Jaguar. Blippar Inc. also includes Blippar Lab, the company’s innovation and R&D unit as well as Blippar Education, which focuses on the educational sector.
In May 2015, Blippar was named to the CNBC Disruptor 50 list. To learn more, visit https://blippar.com/en/