TORONTO – Popular CTV teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation will stay connected with its fans this summer through another “phenomenon in social entertainment,” vSide.
The show is the first Canadian television series to launch a presence in vSide, the 3-D, online, next-generation virtual world, says CTV.
To celebrate, Degrassi: TNG will host “Degrassi Spirit Week”, a virtual, week-long event beginning Monday, June 16 that will see Degrassi cast members make appearances through their avatars in vSide at degrassi.ctv.ca.
Airing Mondays at 7:30 p.m. ET on CTV, just one new episode is left before Degrassi ends Season 7 with a prom and a special appearance by Natasha Bedingfield in the finale on June 23 (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). Degrassi: TNG will continue to air on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. ET until Season 8 premieres in the fall on CTV.
A “place to party with your friends online, vSide is a three-dimensional platform that provides a real-time place to interact with friends in a graphically stunning online environment. Targeted for the 13-24 age demographic, vSide allows teens to express their creativity and connect with friends who have similar interests in music, entertainment and fashion,” reads the press release.
“Users create a customized avatar, which is a user’s representation of themselves in the form of a 3D animated character. The avatar allows them to travel through the vSide universe, interact with others in the vSide community, and play games and trivia to earn vSide credits to purchase virtual items. Users can also select and decorate their own apartments, where they can throw parties, play music, stream YouTube videos and more. Activity and chat in the vSide environment is monitored at all times to ensure that it’s a safe environment for teens.”
“VSide is the latest extension of the Degrassi brand beyond the television screen,” said Susanne Boyce, president, creative, content and channels, CTV Inc. “This series continues to break barriers and vSide is literally a virtual breakthrough for Canadian television.”
“Our fans tell us they want to connect with our show any way they can, so what better way to do that than by spending time with their friends in vSide’s version of Degrassi’s DOT Grill, listening to music from Degrassi, watching clips, and taking up residence in a DOT Dorm,” added Christopher Jackson, producer Epitome Pictures’ director of digital media. “We’re confident that 3D social networking platforms such as vSide will be a big part of ‘what’s next’ in the digital space.”
