Spike TV Unveils 'Thad Castle for College Player of the Year' Campaign to Promote New Comedy Series

November 11, 2009 3:43 PM EST

NEW YORK, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Spike TV unveils today an ambitious, multi-platform college football player marketing campaign for Thad Castle, star senior linebacker at the fictitious college football powerhouse team featured in the upcoming Spike TV original comedy series, "Blue Mountain State" which premieres on Tuesday, January 12, 2010.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060322/NYW096LOGO )

Spike's multi-media campaign is designed to build awareness for the new weekly comedy series with rabid sports fans.

"Over the past few years, similar campaigns have become more prominent and savvy. From Joey Harrington's Nike billboard in 2001 to Tennessee's current campaign promoting defensive back Eric Berry, colleges have become more sophisticated in getting the word out about their players," says Niels Schuurmans, senior vice president of brand marketing and creative at Spike TV. "Our Thad Castle For College Football Player of the Year campaign is a perfect way for Spike to reach out and not only build awareness, but tune-in with college football and general collegiate sports fans, a target audience for Blue Mountain State."

Spike's Thad Castle For College Player of the Year campaign includes the following elements:

    --  A 40 x 40 billboard located in Times Square, the crossroads of the
        world, in the heart of New York City.  The billboard creative includes a
        call-to-action, asking fans/viewers to text the shortcode 44686 on their
        mobile phones and in return receive a three-minute promotional video and
        a direct link to Spike's "Blue Mountain State" web site bms.spike.com.

    --  A three-minute viral video which includes testimonials from well-known
        current and former football coaches Bobby Bowden (Florida State
        University), Mike Leach (Texas Tech) and Jerry Glanville (Houston
        Oilers, Atlanta Falcons) along with former NFL player Brian Bosworth
        (University of Oklahoma) and former San Diego Chargers quarterback and
        current NFL color commentator, Dan Fouts.  Here is a link to the video: 
        http://www.spike.com/video/3286970

    --  A web site, bms.spike.com, that features the three minute "Thad Castle
        For College Player of the Year" video, in addition to general
        information about the series, character biographies and various photo
        galleries.

    --  A thirty second version of the Thad Castle For College Player of the
        Year video which will air across various dayparts on Spike TV, and will
        also include national run during ESPN's College Football game coverage.

    --  A grassroots college tour where Spike will visit 14 college campuses
        during the month of November, the peak college football season.  Schools
        that Spike will visit include University of Florida, University of
        Tennessee, University of Georgia, University of Miami, Arizona
        University, USC, Florida State University and University of Iowa.  On
        select campuses, Spike will host fraternity screenings of "Blue Mountain
        State" and bring its own mechanical football (a la mechanical bull)
        ride.  All campuses visited will feature "Blue Mountain State" signage
        and branded cheerleaders distributing Spike merchandise including
        t-shirts, beer cozies, mini-footballs, posters and condoms.

About "Blue Mountain State"

"Blue Mountain State" is Spike TV's first original scripted comedy series that follows the on-and-off field antics of three freshmen as they learn to adapt to life at a fictional college football powerhouse. The series stars actor and former NFL player Ed Marinaro ("Hill Street Blues"), Emmy® Award-winner Darin Brooks ("Blue Crush"), Sam Jones III ("ER"), Alan Richtson ("Smallville"), Romanski ("The Sarah Silverman Program") and Gabrielle Dennis ("The Game"). Thirteen half-hour episodes of "Blue Mountain State" are being produced for Spike by Brian Robbins' ("Varsity Blues," "Smallville") and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett's Varsity Pictures and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF).

About Thad Castle

Thad Castle, portrayed by Alan Ritchson, is a Blue Mountain State senior linebacker. Castle hails from Connecticut and is a two-time consensus All-American. He set the school record for tackles in a game with 23 in 2008 but was also ejected from the same game for verbally abusing the referees. Castle has already brought one championship to Blue Mountain State as team captain and is looking to bring a few more to BMS before he's done. Castle leads the team again this year in tackles and sacks, but it's his hard partying, ridiculous self-love and seemingly indiscriminate sexual appetite that really motivates the incoming freshman...to stay as far away from him as possible.

Spike TV is available in 98 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.

Billboard & Viral Video Creative Available Upon Request

SOURCE Spike TV

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