EIGHT COUNTRIES IN EIGHT DAYS -- NBC ANNOUNCES CAST DESTINATIONS AND KEY FAN EVENTS FOR THE 'HEROES WORLD TOUR,' PRESENTED BY NISSAN

'Heroes World Tour' begins August 26 with 12 "Heroes" Cast Members Kicking off a Series of Extraordinary Promotional Events Domestically and Internationally throughout Europe, Asia and North America

BURBANK, CA and UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – August 21, 2007 – NBC Universal announced details of the "Heroes World Tour" presented by Nissan, the first global marketing initiative of its kind, as 12 cast members of the Emmy Award-nominated drama will travel to eight countries around the world in eight days, beginning August 26, 2007. The promotional tour celebrates the launch of "Heroes" Season One DVD and HD DVD on Aug. 28, the Second Season Premiere on NBC, Sept. 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET and the debut of the show in multiple international territories. NBC.com will be the online destination for fans following the "Heroes" global adventures (NBC.com/Heroesworldtour) with daily postings and exclusive video of the cast's adventures. NBC Universal unveiled highlights of the ambitious worldwide itinerary and upcoming events taking place throughout Europe, Asia and North America. The announcement was made today by John Miller, chief marketing officer, NBC Universal Television Group, Tim Kring, creator and executive producer, "Heroes," and Kathryn Fields, spokesperson for Nissan.

"Capitalizing on the domestic and ever-growing international groundswell of popularity for the epic series, the 'Heroes World Tour' presented by Nissan is a full-throttle effort to utilize all the assets afforded by NBC Universal, to celebrate the global spirit of 'Heroes' fans everywhere and to further grow this incredible franchise in the worldwide marketplace," said Miller.

"The message of 'Heroes' has always been about our world being a completely inter-connected place and this world tour is a celebration of that spirit," said Tim Kring. "We're all very excited to embark on this adventure next week and eager to hear from fans everywhere, whether they are already viewers, fans who are just discovering our show internationally or people buying the DVD."

"Nissan was the sole advertiser in last year's series premiere and since then Nissan has been fully integrated into every aspect of 'Heroes.' It only makes sense to continue our innovative partnership with the 'Heroes World Tour," said Kathryn Fields, spokesperson for Nissan. "The overwhelming success of the series gives us the opportunity to connect with the ever-growing, passionate audience it provides."

The tour has been split into three legs with four cast members traveling to each destination.

Europe- -Munich (8/26-8/27 -Paris (8/28-8/29) -London (8/30-9/2) Cast Members: Jack Coleman ("H.R.G."), Hayden Panettiere ("Claire"), Adrian Pasdar ("Nathan"), and Milo Ventimiglia ("Peter") with executive producer Dennis Hammer

Asia- -Tokyo (8/26-8/28) -Hong Kong (8/29-8/30) -Singapore (8/31-9/2) Cast members: Greg Grunberg ("Matt"), Ali Larter ("Niki), Masi Oka ("Hiro"), and Sendhil Ramamurthy ("Mohinder")

North America- -New York City (8/27-8/29) – The backdrop of Season One -Toronto (8/30-9/1) Cast members: Noah Gray-Cabey ("Micah"), James Kyson Lee ("Ando"), Zachary Quinto ("Sylar"), and Dania Ramirez ("Maya") with co-executive producer/writer Jeph Loeb and acclaimed graphic novel artist Tim Sale ("Batman: The Long Halloween")

The "Heroes World Tour" will be highlighted by personal appearances in the various markets, "meet & greets" with fans, television appearances, media events and activities as well as visits by the cast to iconic international landmarks and city hot spots. Some of these activities will be highlighted in Nightly updates, sponsored by Nissan, that will air in NBC Primetime and re-air on MSNBC. Examples of fan events include a signing at FNAC in Paris on August 28, a "Heroes" Premiere at Roppongi Cinemas in Tokyo on August 27, a fan event at Vivo City in Singapore on August 31, as well as a fan event and autograph signing at the NBC Experience Store in NY on August 28 and at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto on August 31.

Throughout the tour, NBC.com will be the online destination for fans following the "Heroes" adventure as the cast and producers travel the world. The "Heroes World Tour" site (NBC.com/Heroesworldtour) will include photos and video from each international location. Fans from around the world can also upload their photos from the events, uniting the online community for a shared global experience.

One highlight of the North American leg will be the appearance of cast members Gray-Cabey, Lee, Quinto and Ramirez along with artist Sale and co-executive producer Loeb at the NBC Experience Store in New York City on August 28, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Fans can visit the store and participate in signings of the "Heroes" Season One DVD and HD DVDs and other show merchandise on the floor. The "Heroes" Season One DVD will be an elaborate seven-disc set loaded with bonus features, including 50 deleted scenes and the 73-minute never-aired version of the pilot episode. The HD DVD offers a web-enabled Download Center that allows users unique access to exclusive online content, as well as other groundbreaking features such as the Heroes Abilities Test, The Helix Revealed, Character Connections and Picture-in-Picture Commentary.

Immediately following the autograph session, the stars will join with The Conservation Fund in a ceremonial tree planting to highlight the carbon zero "Heroes World Tour." Next spring, the fund will plant 188 trees in a Texas wildlife refuge to offset the tour's carbon footprint, including the emissions that will result from the air and auto travel, as well as hotel stays. As the trees grow, the new forest will safeguard the habitat for wildlife and trap more than 250 tons of carbon dioxide. The green message of the "Heroes World Tour" will be an important aspect of the campaign as NBC Universal and their international broadcast partners hope to raise awareness globally about the importance of environmental stewardship. Special limited edition green t-shirts, featuring art by Tim Sale, have been created for the "Heroes World Tour" and 50 percent of the sales proceeds will be donated to The Conservation Fund. Ten percent of all "Heroes" merchandise sold at the NBC Experience Store on Aug. 28 will also be donated to The Conservation Fund. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, STAR TV is sponsoring a "Heroes: Save the World Party" in conjunction with the World Tour to honor local heroes tied into their local CoolChange Green initiative.

Later on Aug. 28, Loeb and Sale will also appear at Midtown Comics Times Square, a popular local comic book and collectibles store, at 4-6 p.m. for a special autograph session for fans.

On the international front, "Heroes" continues to be licensed outside of the U.S. and Canada by NBC Universal International Television Distribution, now in nearly 150 territories. Since first premiering outside of the U.S. in January 2007, "Heroes'" global ratings performance continues to dominate primetime schedules and mirror the success it has achieved in the U.S. With upcoming launches in Germany and Japan, some of the territories where it is currently a ratings hero include Australia, the UK, France, Poland, New Zealand and Spain.

Earlier this month, Nissan and NBC announced a wide-ranging, robust marketing program for the second season of "Heroes," encompassing product integration, off-channel platforms, wireless applications, traditional television advertising and significant on-air and online sponsorships.

In the one-of-a-kind deal, Nissan will use "Heroes" as the central hub of a multi-pronged marketing campaign for the launch of its new crossover vehicle, the Nissan Rogue. The effort will kick off with Nissan sponsoring the world tour in mid-August.

"Heroes" was the #1 first-year series of the 2006-07 television season in all key ratings categories (including a tie for #1 among women 18-34) and is NBC's top new drama in 12 years. "Heroes" finished the season as the #2 scripted series on all of network television among men 18-34 and men 18-49.

 

Source: NBC Press Release

 

 

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