The Brief
Tokyo Digital had the exhilarating opportunity to work with Turner TV channels, including Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim, CNN, TNT, and Star. Our involvement spanned Europe and Scandinavia, where we developed a plethora of engaging games, interactive quizzes, applications, and vibrant launch campaigns. Each project was customised to reflect the unique brand identities and target audiences of these channels.
Turner, now a subsidiary in name only of Warner Bros., boasts a storied history in the entertainment sector. Key moments in its journey include the acquisition of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) by Ted Turner and his Turner Broadcasting System on 25 March 1986, for $1.5 billion, later renaming it MGM Entertainment Company, Inc. However, Turner's ownership was brief due to financial pressures, leading to the sale of the MGM name, United Artists, and the MGM Culver City-based studio lot back to Kirk Kerkorian for approximately $300 million.
Despite this sale, Turner retained a significant portion of the studio's film, television, and cartoon library, as well as parts of the United Artists library, forming Turner Entertainment Company. This library encompassed the pre-1950 Warner Bros. collection, pre-August 1948 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, Fleischer Studios/Famous Studios Popeye cartoons, the RKO Radio Pictures library, and most of the 'Gilligan's Island' franchise.
Turner's strategy focused on the colourisation of classic black-and-white films, as opposed to producing sequels to Turner-owned properties. In December 1987, Turner Entertainment made an agreement with American Film Technologies to computer-colourise three films from the MGM library. Additionally, Turner acquired global licensing rights to 800 of RKO's films.
In this context, Tokyo Digital's collaboration with Turner channels was particularly noteworthy. Our role in crafting interactive digital content aligned with Turner's strategy of engaging contemporary audiences while managing a historic media library. This project underscored our technical and creative prowess and our ability to deliver content that resonates with diverse and dynamic viewer segments across multiple regions.