Weather Channel To Launch In Second Life

by David Goetzl, Monday, Mar 12, 2007 7:30 AM ET

THE WEATHER CHANNEL HAS BECOME the latest marketer to jump on the
Second Life bandwagon by launching a virtual headquarters in the 3D
online universe. Known as "Weather Island," it will offer an extreme
sports park, in line with the theme of new show "Epic Conditions." It
will also serve as an avenue to debut show episodes and other footage.

The Second Life initiative looks to serve as both a promotional and
possibly ad sales vehicle. The new "Epic Conditions" series aims to
give viewers a front-row seat as extreme athletes take on challenging
conditions. It has a limited run on-air this month, and moves to the
lineup full-time this fall. An eponymous broadband channel is already
up. Second Life has 4.5 million users. The Weather Channel inclusion
allows them an interactive experience to "become" an extreme athlete
by skiing Mount Epic and mountain-biking the Moab Desert.

Coming soon: A "big wave" surfing simulator. Weather Island will
offer episode premieres--as will the broadband channel on the
weatherchannel.com site--before their on-air debuts. "With Second
Life, we're hopeful we can expose our brand in an original and
meaningful way," says Debora Wilson, president, The Weather Channel
Companies. "We also see Second Life as a potential advertising
platform for brands currently partnering with us." Keeping with
consumer hunger for social networking, Weather Island offers the
chance to engage with other visitors, simulate activities and gather
information about the real-world spots where the extreme sports are
played out.