Starz Invites Viewers To Delve Deeper Into The Genius Of The Starz Original Series "Da Vinci's Demons" With "Citizens Of Florence" Companion App

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz launched today "Da Vinci's Demons: Citizens of Florence" ("Citizens of Florence"), a second screen application for iPad users designed to be enjoyed throughout the upcoming premiere season of the new STARZ Original series, "Da Vinci's Demons."  "Citizens of Florence" is a "Da Vinci's Demons" show companion, offering a unique, complementary viewing experience that enriches the premium and commercial-free original series.  "Citizens of Florence" is available as a free download exclusively in the App Store.

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In a world where thought and faith are controlled, Leonardo Da Vinci will fight to set knowledge free. Viewers can join Da Vinci in his quest as the "Citizens of Florence" app dynamically unlocks fantastic interactive content in real-time or they can choose to sit back and enjoy the episode, while exploring unlocked content through the eyes of a citizen of Florence after the show. Based on the character you select – an artist, banker, etc.- the experience and access to exclusive artifacts within Florence will vary.

"Da Vinci's Demons" premieres exclusively on STARZ on Friday, April 12^th at 10:00 PM ET/PT following the "Spartacus: War of the Damned" series finale. Future episodes will debut Fridays on STARZ at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

"Citizens of Florence" was created by Starz in partnership with And Company. (www.andcompany.com).

"With the 'Da Vinci's Demons' app, we explored the second screen opportunity in a fresh way and one that is specific to our brand proposition about creating immersive worlds," said Kelly Bumann, Senior Vice President of Digital Marketing for Starz. "As a commercial-free premium programming provider, we are focused on having the app extend the show's experience and enhance the story, not disrupt it."  

"Second screen apps have historically amplified engagement around a show through social media or community activities. Starz wanted to step outside that mold to create something that builds upon the show and has a longer shelf life than a solely synchronous experience," said Erin Dwyer, Executive Director of Digital Marketing for Starz. "By taking that approach, and incorporating ground-breaking audio syncing technology from mufin, 'Citizens of Florence' delivers a truly premium, non-disruptive experience."

How it Works

"Citizens of Florence" incorporates state of the art audio fingerprinting technology into the application.  Interactive content on iPad is thus triggered through audio syncing with the dialogue of the series and thus preserves and enriches the content of the original series without spoiling or disrupting the chronology of the show.  "Citizens of Florence" is unique in that its users are empowered to choose their own personalized second screen path, without being forced into a synchronous experience or necessarily having their premium viewing disrupted.

While most of the interactive content is triggered by the progression of each episode of "Da Vinci's Demons," users have the ability to catch up and access the interactive content for a particular episode at any time by download after premiere using the Manual Sync option.

Working beyond just the linear premiere, the iPad app is built to support all types of viewing platforms and experiences including: live STARZ audiences, time-shifted STARZ DVR users, binge viewing on platforms such as STARZ ON DEMAND and STARZ PLAY, and ultimately Blu-ray/DVD.  Additionally, the app will continue to engage users long after the series completion with the vast amounts of unlocked content.

More than one hour of custom video content from approximately 50 videos created during production of "Da Vinci's Demons" in Wales.

Exclusive content includes:

• Videos: Inventions, scene pulls, interviews with Series Creator David S. Goyer, Dr. Findlen of Stanford - historian videos, and deleted scenes
• 360-degree views of da Vinci's inventions
• Over 80 show elements, artifacts, characters and props
• 24 panoramic environments and locations to explore
• 8 mini games, one per episode, that once mastered, unlock exclusive content on the featured da Vinci invention  

Cutting Edge Audio Syncing Technology

"Da Vinci's Demons Citizens of Florence" offers audio syncing technology that will be used for the first time in the United States with the Starz new second screen app. Devised by mufin (www.mufin.com), the audioid in-app recognition does the fingerprinting and matching right on the mobile/tablet device without needing to send any signals to a remote server and wait for results; everything takes place local to the user's device. This is unique from similar solutions and why the accuracy and short recognition periods via mufin are exceptional.  

iOS Platform

• The app is a touch-heavy, interactive experience built entirely on the iOS
• Available for use on the iPad 2 and up, with an operating system of 5.1 and up
• iPad functionality is utilized to move elements in the app, long-taps, swiping, and the microphone
• The "Da Vinci's Demons: Citizens of Florence" App is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.AppStore.com

About "Da Vinci's Demons"

"Da Vinci's Demons," follows the "untold" story of the world's greatest genius, Leonardo da Vinci, during his turbulent youth in Renaissance Florence. 

"Da Vinci's Demons" will star Tom Riley, who has received wide critical acclaim in the UK for his performances in theater, film and on television and was nominated by the Drama Desk Awards for his performance in the 2011 Tony® Award nominated Broadway play, "Arcadia."  Riley's co-stars include Laura Haddock (The Inbetweeners Movie, "Honest," Captain America: The First Avenger) who plays the celebrated beauty with obscure motives, Lucrezia Donati; Elliot Cowan ("Marchlands," "The Fixer," "Lost in Austen") who plays the shrewd de facto ruler of Florence, Lorenzo Medici; Lara Pulver ("True Blood," "Sherlock," "Robin Hood") who plays his wife Clarice Orsini; and Blake Ritson (Serena, "Upstairs Downstairs") who plays the ruthless and unwavering Count Girolamo Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV. 

"Da Vinci's Demons" comes from the mind of David S. Goyer, co-writer of the blockbuster and critically-acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy, writer of the highly anticipated Man of Steel and story editor for "Call of Duty: Black Ops," and "Black Ops II," the most successful video game franchise of all time.

Julie Gardner is Executive Producer, along with Jane Tranter, head of Adjacent Productions, a label launched in 2012 that sits within BBC Worldwide Productions.

Join the conversation at: #CitizensofFlorence, #DaVincisDemons.

About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.

Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ^® and ENCORE^® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies.  As of December 31, 2012, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 56 million subscribers, including 21 million at STARZ, and 35 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S.  STARZ^® and ENCORE^®, along with Starz Networks' third network MOVIEPLEX^®, air over 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties.  Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.

SOURCE Starz