Starz Launches Transmedia Experience "Battle For Nuceria" in Advance of Final Season of "Spartacus: War of the Damned"

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz Entertainment has launched a comprehensive digital experience, "Battle For Nuceria" (www.battlefornuceria.com), for the upcoming final season of the international hit "Spartacus: War of the Damned." Designed to be a season-long companion piece to the series, fans will be taken to the front line of Spartacus' fight against Rome and will be immersed in the opportunity to compete with other fans to unlock unprecedented rewards, including more than three hours of exclusive video content, a grand prize trip to Italy, and the first online opportunity to unlock the premiere episode before it airs on Friday, January 25^th at 9pm ET/PT.

The video-rich transmedia touch points and gamification elements incorporated into the "Battle For Nuceria" make it one of the most unique digital experiences ever launched for a pay television series.  Features include:

• Sixteen missions for fans to play against one another
• An all-expense paid trip to Rome among other prizes
• Preview of the "Spartacus: War of the Damned" season premiere episode prior to the January 25^th  premiere on STARZ for winners of "Battle for Nuceria"
• Three hours of additional exclusive video footage
• Tractus browser app allows fans to "hijack the 'Net"  by tagging and capturing global websites with rebel badges and symbols
• PC/Mac +iOS customized mobile app experiences and rewards

"Battle For Nuceria" offers a unique, personalized way to engage with a "Spartacus" fan's favorite characters storylines within their daily life from now until the series finale nearly five months from now.  A deep interactive cast and crew photo roster allows fans to zoom in and learn about the "Spartacus" talent they have grown to love over the past four years.

"Starz is taking our fans deeper into 'Spartacus' -  a show that has a rabid fan base that is eager to step inside the world of our characters - and 'Battle For Nuceria' rewards their loyalty with great prizes and a bounty full of video," said Kelly Bumann, Senior Vice President of Digital Marketing for Starz Entertainment. "Battle For Nuceria" rewards consumers in a way no other experience has before. From the exclusive content we are reserving just for the fans, to the exclusive prizes, this is the ultimate digital experience for the fans that have been so loyal over the past four years." 

"We have leveraged the immersive nature of the 'Spartacus' story, and taken the experience beyond television screen with the 'Battle for Nuceria," said Erin Dwyer, Executive Director of Digital Marketing for Starz Entertainment. "We want to reward our loyal fans and bring this epic story to life. The digital experience empowers our ultimate fans in new ways and makes them a part of our show's legacy in a powerful way that builds engagement and loyalty."

Exclusive Pre-Premiere of First Episode of "Spartacus: War of the Damned" + Prizes and Rewards with the "Battle for Nuceria"

In addition to exclusive content, "Battle For Nuceria" participants compete for several prizes.

One lucky grand prize winner will receive a six-day, five-night trip for two to Rome; a getaway estimated at approximately $10,175.00. Based on the leaderboard, participants will also have the chance to win trips to the Riviera Maya, Spartacus gear, prop replicas, iPad minis and more.

There are 16 total missions that earn points; six missions leading up to the premiere that will allow fans to earn points and increase their chances to win prizes.

"Battle For Nuceria" participants will be able to watch the first episode online as early January 23 depending on when the community reaches the points needed to unlock this unique reward.

More on The "Battle For Nuceria" Transmedia Experience

The Encampment website  (www.battlefornuceria.com)

• This is home base for our consumer rebel army.
• Receive missions, download your rewards, and check your status in the leaderboard.
• See what other rebel army members are talking about; smack talk your Facebook friends that you're beating in the leaderboard.
• The encampment website has Facebook and Twitter connect integration for ease of sign on and social connectivity that uses Geo-caching for real-time activity reporting.

Hypogeum iOS mobile app
A key tool for our rebel army when on the go.

• Check into locations.
• Unlock new missions on the go and keep track of your progress.
• Use the visual recognition scanner to scan rebel marks and key art to unlock more points and rewards.
• Receive messages directly from your rebel leaders who will give you clues and alert you when new missions and rewards are unlocked.
• When users check in with the Hypogeum iOS mobile app, a PNG sequence of images is triggered to create an augmented reality-based experience onto your native camera, immediately throwing the user into the world of Spartacus.

Tractus browser app

• "Battle for Nuceria" participants will use this to make their mark online across the Internet with the ability to 'conquer' sites for the Rebel Army and make their battle for freedom spread.
• Leave your mark and message for other rebel army members to see. 
• Earn more points for being the first to take over a site.

Learn more about the STARZ Original series "Spartacus: War of the Damned," and engage with your favorite characters in the "Battle For Nuceria" at http://www.facebook.com/spartacus.starz and on Twitter (#BattleforNuceria #Spartacus).

About "Spartacus: War of the Damned"
 "Spartacus: War of the Damned" takes place following the defeat of Roman commander Gaius Claudius Glaber. Spartacus and his men have amassed major victories against the Romans after the Battle of Vesuvius. These victories have not only forged the legend of Spartacus, but have greatly increased the ranks of the rebellion slaves to more than 30,000. Rome is indeed beginning to tremble at the threat Spartacus now represents.

The "Spartacus" franchise began its run Friday, January 22, 2010 with "Blood and Sand." It was followed a year later with the prequel, "Gods of the Arena" (January 21, 2011).  "Vengeance" hit the air on January 27, 2012 and "War of the Damned" is scheduled to air January 25, 2013. More than six million weekly viewers watched last season, "Spartacus: Vengeance," which has amassed more than 2.5 million Facebook fans. Globally, the series airs in 150 countries in more than 15 languages.

"Spartacus: War of the Damned" sees the return on Liam McIntyre (Spartacus), Manu Bennett (Crixus), Dustin Clare (Gannicus), Dan Feuerriegel (Agron), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Naevia) and Ellen Hollman (Saxa). This year, Todd Lasance joins the cast as Gaius Julius Caesar, along with Simon Merrells, who will be playing Marcus Crassus and Anna Hutchison as Laeta.

STARZ also shared a series recap and look at the upcoming season with a new "Strategy of War" video.

Link to "Strategy of War" Video
http://www.starz.com/originals/spartacus/Videos/#/spartacus-war-of-the-damned---strategy-of-war

About Starz Entertainment
Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie and original programming entertainment service provider operating in the United States. The company offers 17 premium channels including the flagship STARZ^® and ENCORE^® brands with approximately 20.8 million and 34.3 million subscribers respectively.  Starz Entertainment airs in total more than 1,000 movies and original series every month across its pay TV channels. Starz Entertainment is recognized as a pay TV leader in providing HD, On Demand, HD On Demand and online advanced services for its STARZ, ENCORE and MOVIEPLEX brands.  Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LMCA). 

Contact:
Erin Hoffman
Starz Entertainment
(720) 852-7323
[email protected]

SOURCE Starz Entertainment