Mar 14, 2018

Ovation Upfront Showcases The Power of Art



Let me just start out by saying that I am a great fan of Ovation. It is, as Liz Janneman, Executive Vice President, Network Strategy, Ovation, stated, “America’s only arts network,” whose mission is to celebrate both the classical arts and the cutting edge art of tomorrow. 

Ovation Programming
“Art is a powerful three letter word,” Janneman stated, and Ovation programming “celebrates the artist experience through premium content and compelling storytelling.” To that end, the network announced four shows showcasing that mission including the final season of Versailles, the recently premiered espionage series X Company and new series, The Wine Show and crime thriller Riveria. 

X Company, airing Mondays at 10pm is a World War II based espionage series inspired by true events at Camp X, a top secret Allied spy training camp on Lake Ontario. It is the compelling story of five recruits who go behind enemy lines in Europe to help the Allied forces defeat the Nazis. 

Versailles, airing on Saturdays at 10p is now in its sophomore year and will enter its third and final season in October 2018.  George Blagden, who plays King Louis XIV on the program, marveled at the series’ authenticity. The series is partially filmed on the actual grounds at Versailles, “one of the eight wonders of the world,” he noted, “There is no pretending – we are actually in the 350 year old space where ballet was invented and  opera performed.” 

The Wine Show, Wednesdays at 10p, takes a storytelling approach to wine connoisseurship. With wines spanning eleven countries over five continents, wine expert and host Joe Fattorini assured the upfront crowd that anyone can become a wine expert in 90 seconds. “Look for BLIC,” he explained, “that is, Balance – is it fruity or acidic, Length – how long does the taste stay in your mouth, Intensity – of the wine flavor and Complexity –you should note no more than three distinct tastes.” Every bottle of wine tells a great story. 

Riviera, which is “a sensation in the UK,” according to Janneman, debuts February 2019 on Ovation. The program is a crime mystery thriller set in France that follows an art curator who is trying to solve the mystery of her husband’s murder. Her quest devolves into the lurid aspects of art theft and how art can be used for money laundering.  

Multiplatform Targeting to A25-54
Ovation recently launched a new OTT service called Journy that is streamed on Roku and Xumo smart TVs, featuring art, culture and travel programming. While the network continues to target Adults 25-54 with discretionary income and high education, Janneman, also explained that, “With Journy and the platforms that it is displayed on, we are targeting a younger subset of that demographic but still in the same theme of art, culture and travel,” offering the younger cohort an truly immersive experience.

Journy initiatives for 2018 include, according to Elba Flamenco, Ovation’s Senior Director of Content Partnerships, “adding even more programming content and expanding our app to several TV connected devices to increase distribution, ” such as Apple, Amazon and Chrome.

Advocating for the Arts
Ovation is also a strong advocate for the arts with outreach programs. Janneman noted that “We have formed a Stand for the Arts Coalition with more than 30 organizations joining the cause such as Alvin Ailey, American Ballet Theater, National Humanities Center and the American Film Institute. All of these organizations are working together to promote art and art access.” 

This advocacy is moving into the political realm in regards to government funding of the arts. “We have come out against the de-funding of the NEA. We are not a recipient of any NEA funding but we have stated that for every dollar that the NEA spends, $5 comes back to the economy, “she noted, “We believe that when the NEA provides a grant, it is a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval which then enables that organization to secure more private funding.” 

If the NEA is abolished, Janneman believes that the Stand for the Arts Coalition will get larger and offer organizations an even stronger voice to promote the arts. “Someone has to step up power of art and carry the mantle of arts,” she concluded.  

This article first appeared in www.Mediapost.com
 

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