- Shahnaz Mahmud

NEW YORK MEN7, a multiplatform lifestyle and entertainment network that debuts July 3, has partnered with Red Bull to create a branded entertainment Web series, DNA of Sport.

Each of the 15 Webisodes demonstrates how action sports push boundaries, documenting athletes as they perform seemingly impossible feats through discipline and daring.   

One installment is devoted to motorcycle competition MotoGP. The show begins with archival material and provides a detailed look at how two-wheeled racing has evolved. The episode features MotoGP world champion Nicky Haden as he races at Laguna Seca on his titanium and carbon fiber Honda RC212V.

The series take a soft-sell approach, and the integrations don't showcase specific Red Bull products or overtly push the brand. Instead, interactive contextual overlays give viewers the chance to explore the world of actions sports and -- hopefully -- forge deeper bonds with Red Bull, said Darren Chuckry, COO at MEN7.

Here's an example: During the episode's 12-minute run, an icon pops up and viewers see a motorcyclist doing a back flip. In this case, the athlete is Travis Pastrano, and viewers can select Pastrano footage or click onto the athlete's site. For the advertiser, this is designed to make the viewer "really understand that Travis was a Red Bull athlete," said Chuckry, emphasizing that Red Bull tends to shy away from heavy product integration. "They really want to believe that Red Bull is an integrated part in the show that you see -- you see it with the athletes," he said.

In addition to living online at MEN7, DNA of Sport will be available on syndicated digital partner networks, such as Hulu.com, and on mobile platforms Sprint and Verizon. The net also plans to launch a video-on-demand service in September, but Chuckry declined to name the partner.

Ultimately, the creators hope the series, which debuts in September, gets picked up for broadcast on traditional television.

"From our perspective, it's been such a difficult process to try and get a television series developed and onto traditional channels and this finally allows us to work closer with the advertisers and create things with them in mind," he said.