MUMBAI: The world's most valuable media company Google and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Atas) Foundation have announced a tie up.
The deal will make Atas' archive of American television interviews available for free viewing on Google Video. This historic collection includes interviews with Alan Alda, Dick Wolf, Steven Bochco and many of television’s greatest actors, writers, producers, directors and others.
Atas states that its archive of American Television is probably the most diverse, complete and fascinating resource of its kind. The stories are told through the eyes of the creative geniuses – in front of and behind the cameras – who shaped and continue to shape television into the most powerful medium in the world.
Atas Foundation chairman Steve Mosko, said, " The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation is on the future's forefront, bringing more television to the web with Google. Google has been fantastic. They learned of our need to make our interviews more accessible and stepped up to make it happen. This relationship is a perfect marriage of irreplaceable content and one of the most powerful delivery systems in the world.”
Today, the first 75 of the 284 historic films (which equals to about 240 viewing hours) can be watched on Google Video at http://video.google.com. The collection includes a virtual “who’s who” from the past 75 years of television.
The list of actors, producers, show creators, writers, artists, journalists and directors includes actors Ossie Davis, Michael J. Fox, Angela Lansbury, William Shatner of Star Trek fame and James Garner. Producer/Creators that are featured include Dick Wolf, Dick Clark whose company prodfuces the Golden Globe Awards and Carl Reiner
Today, if a user enters the query [academy of television] into the Google Video search box at http://video.google.com they will see a results page featuring the first 75 interviews from the Academy.
Google Video VP product management Susan Wojcicki says, “This important archive has found a home on Google Video where anyone in the world whether it’s a student, aspiring actor or historian can have immediate and free access to this cultural asset. Today we are demonstrating how the Web can help to distribute all kinds of content that may not have otherwise been widely available. We’re happy to join with the Foundation to preserve the rich history of television by showcasing the individuals who pioneered the medium.”
Television Academy Foundation executive director Terri Clark says, “We are very excited to be working with Google Video to help us unlock these interviews and make them accessible to students, journalists, researchers and television fans around the world. This will be the first time users can watch and search these full uncut interviews online.” Clark and Michael Rosen who is the executive producer of the archive, are working closely with Google on the day-to-day management of the project.
