FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL™ PROGRAMMING

NOW AVAILABLE ON iTUNES

New York, New York – (August 18, 2008) – Smithsonian Channel™ today makes its award winning programming available on the iTunes Store (http://www.iTunes.com), with initial offerings such as Stories from the Vaults, Remembering Vietnam: The Wall at 25, Day of the Kamikaze and Nature Tech.  Smithsonian Networks programming celebrates the American experience with branded original content drawn largely from the assets of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex and features original documentaries, short-subject explorations and innovative and groundbreaking programs highlighting America’s historical, cultural and scientific heritage.

The films, documentaries and limited series available on iTunes cover genres such as wildlife, technology, history, pop culture and children’s programs and are available for purchase and download at $1.99 per episode.

The Tom Cavanagh-hosted Stories from the Vaults, is a series of half-hour programs that showcase a variety of the Smithsonian’s rarely-seen treasures.  The series won a 2008 Gold Award from the Parents’ Choice Foundation for excellence in child- and family-friendly programming. The original documentary, Remembering Vietnam: The Wall at 25 was nominated recently for a 2008 Emmy® award and was also awarded a Gold World Medal from the New York Festivals. Another Gold World Medal was awarded to Day of the Kamikaze, a fascinating docudrama recreating the Japanese suicide attacks against the Allied Fleet in 1945.  Nature Tech, which received two 2008 Emmy ® nominations, is a three-episode series that examines the new field of bio-mimetics, and was awarded Best Limited Series by the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.

“Our presence on the iTunes Store is great exposure for our new network and will allow a much broader audience the opportunity to sample our award winning original programming and builds and demonstrates the brand value of the Smithsonian name” said Tom Hayden, General Manager of Smithsonian Networks.

The network also has received recognition on a different level with five 2008 Parents’ Choice Awards for excellence in its family and child-friendly programming.  The annual awards, established in 1978 by the Parents’ Choice Foundation – the nation’s oldest nonprofit guide to quality children’s media and toys – are bestowed at different levels. Smithsonian Channel won two Gold Awards, one Silver Honor, one Recommended and one Approved rating for its shows Nature Tech, Critter Quest, America’s Treasures and Loose at the Zoo: Golden Lion Tamarins, as well as Stories From the Vaults: Season One.

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ABOUT SMITHSONIAN NETWORKS:

Smithsonian Networks (SN) is a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution. It was formed to create new channels to showcase scientific, cultural and historical programming based largely upon the assets of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex. Smithsonian Channel features original documentaries, short-subject explorations and innovative and groundbreaking programs highlighting America’s historical, cultural and scientific heritage. Visit Smithsonian Networks on the internet at www.smithsonianchannel.com

 

For information, contact:
Stuart Zakim                                                                           
212-708-1590                                           
stuart.zakim@showtime.net