Last.fm Partners with Bebo to Power Music on Sofia's Diary

Social music network launches application enabling users to listen to bands recommended by Bebo's new web drama heroine

NEW YORK and LONDON, 19th March, 2008 - Last.fm has teamed up with Bebo to enable fans of the social media network's new online drama, Sofia's Diary, to listen to main character Sofia's favourite music.

Last.fm's Superbands widget, integrated into the Sofia's Diary profile page on Bebo (bebo.com/sofiasdiary), allows fans of the new interactive web drama to listen to Last.fm radio stations based on the eponymous heroine's favourite music.

It displays images of all the bands Sofia likes, and allows fans to launch a streaming radio station that plays music from those artists and similar artists. Bebo users can place the widget on their own profiles, and it will be updated throughout the series as Sofia reveals more of her music taste to the show's audience.

Martin Stiksel, Last.fm co-founder, said: "Online shows like Sofia's Diary are changing the way audiences are consuming drama. Last.fm is changing the way individuals are listening to music so it's a good match. There is a new ‘pick and mix' media model emerging where cross-site communities are being formed around entertainment.

"Widgets such as Superbands are enabling these communities to integrate their favourite online apps to create compelling content. We've recognised this at Last.fm and want to help users get the most out of the incredible range of music we have on our site, regardless of what they are doing elsewhere on the web."

Ziv Navoth, Bebo's VP Marketing and Business Development, said: "Giving Bebo users the ability to listen to the Sofia's Diary characters' favourite music is a demonstration of just how dynamic entertainment can be in a social media environment. Both Bebo and Last.fm share the vision of putting online users in charge of the entertainment experience."

Based on an international format owned by Sony Pictures Television International, Sofia's Diary is being produced by Ireland's Campbell Ryan Film Productions for Bebo and shot on location across London. It is also set to become a multiplatform brand, stretching across print, radio, podcasts and more.

Sofia's Diary follows on from Bebo's first successful foray into original programming last year. The online drama KateModern attracted 35.6 million episode views across its run, while series two has had over 7 million views to date.

The SuperBands widget on Bebo is available here: bebo.com/lastfm-superbands

Sofia's Diary is available here bebo.com/sofiasdiary

About Last.fm

Founded in 2002, Last.fm is the largest global free music platform on the web. Last.fm can offer music fans millions of tracks in every genre for free-on-demand streaming thanks to partnerships with Universal, EMI, Warner Music Group and Sony BMG, independent aggregators The Orchard, CD Baby and IODA, and more than 150,000 independent artists and labels - without the need to sign up or download any software. As well as being able to access tracks for free - a service which has seen Last.fm become the fastest-growing free online music network in the U.S. - music fans can also share their music preferences by linking their media player to the Last.fm database. As a result, Last.fm can intelligently recommend songs, artists, local concerts and even other members based on their musical tastes. Last.fm also supports unsigned artists by offering them an unprecedented Artist Royalty program through which they can earn revenue directly from Last.fm every time their music is streamed. Learn more about Last.fm at last.fm.

About Bebo

Bebo is the world's leading global social media network. Building on the notion of traditional social networking websites, Bebo combines community, self-expression and entertainment to enable its users to consume, create, discover and share professional and user-generated content through the Bebo website. Bebo has 11.4m unique users in the UK and a total membership of more than 40 million worldwide. Bebo also ranks as the UK's most engaging social network with users spending an average of 33 minutes on the site per usage day.*

Bebo was founded in 2005.

bebo.com

*Source: ComScore Jan 2007

About Sofia's Diary

Conceived by Portuguese producer Nuno Bernardo, Sofia's Diary launched in Portugal in 2003 as an experimental web and mobile service. The original programme now has 200,000 visitors per month online, over 19,000 mobile subscribers and has run four series on Portuguese state broadcaster, RTP2. The series has since been repurposed for international audiences and rolled out to the United States, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Turkey and Vietnam.

Source: CBS Broadcasting Inc. / CBS Corporation

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