-By Shahnaz Mahmud

NEW YORK Internal ties at Time Warner will see Time Inc.'s Essence Communications partner with the Warner Bros. Television Group in a multiplatform deal.
 
The effort centers on the Essence brand expanding into television, with a major emphasis on mobile and online, to produce original content. "This partnership is rooted in creating -- right out of the gates -- a big and enhanced digital business," said Brett Bouttier, svp of digital at WBTG.
 
In late summer, the partnership will relaunch Essence.com, aiming to be the premiere Web site for African-American women, 18-49. The first project, an original series called "Extra on Essence," will be shown on Essence.com. Tanika Ray, correspondent and weekend co-anchor of the daily entertainment news magazine show Extra, will host the program.
 
Speaking about the partnership, Lisa Hackner, evp, creative affairs at WBTG's Telepictures Productions, said it did not arise from any corporate mandate. "Working together, we started to talk about what our goals were from a creative standpoint. And recognizing that the African-American female audience is very underserved in the digital space, we thought this was an interesting partnership," she said.
 
For advertisers, there will be opportunities for product integration. Angela Burt-Murray, editor-in-chief of Essence magazine, said the short-form video that would be created is a good fit for such deals, given that the nature of the program allows for easy identification of products being used within the show's content.

Burt-Murray pointed to "Fab in a Flash," a beauty and style show, in which the host will give a real woman a makeover. "Part of the instruction that comes with this show speaks to the sort of products and tools they should be using. So, in addition to showing viewers how to get a particular look, there will be Chyrons and pop-ups within the videos that provide product information and can also direct viewers to where they can purchase items," she said.
 
Burt-Murray also noted that the short-form video extends beyond Webisodes to various Essence franchises that will also appear online, such as "Marry Me" (men make surprise proposals). "This allows advertisers to gain a very rich experience, so there should be a number of opportunities for them to get involved with the audience," she added.
 
Bouttier indicated that similar agreements would be announced within the next month. "This is one example of how we will go after a certain genre or demographic to create a smart and focused destination that reaches the user across multiple platforms," he said.