(Atlanta, GA – December 12, 2012) – GREAT MUSEUMS TELEVISION, an award-winning television series celebrating the museum world in the U.S. and abroad, surpassed one million views/downloads – a milestone for this unique series that has enjoyed enduring success and high ratings on national public television for the past decade. Executive produced by Marc and Chesney Doyle, the series made its digital debut in 2009 – on YouTube – followed the next year by Hulu & SnagFilms, giving viewers around the world the opportunity to watch full-length episodes previously aired on public television – anywhere, anytime.
Continuing on that path, GMTV’s online reach expanded to Hulu Plus at its launch, then iTunes, Netflix, and earlier this year, over a dozen titles debuted on Amazon Instant Video. Today, GREAT MUSEUMS has a presence of over 110 offerings across these six diverse digital platforms.
“Great Museums is a window to the world right in your own home or on your laptop,” says Executive Producer Chesney Doyle, the lead writer for the series. “The only thing better than viewing Great Museums is producing it. We’ve filmed in museum vaults, art restoration labs, and archaeological digs. We’ve filmed jazz legends in the clubs of New Orleans and the colonial architecture on the streets of Havana, Cuba. We’ve filmed fall, winter, spring and summer on an elevated rail track called the High Line in New York City, as well as breaching whales in Friday Harbor at the Whale Museum and Aretha Franklin at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. There is no end to the fabulous stories we can share through Great Museums Television. ”
In 2010, GreatMuseums.org re-launched with a new look, new offerings, and expanded content. The re-vamped site, which won an award for website design, offers the GREAT MUSEUMS community expanded content, including video blogs and behind the scenes photos of future episodes in production, news about future programming, Museum Moments – quick interludes about specific subjects or moments from classic GREAT MUSEUMS’ specials – as well as the opportunity for visitors to preview key episodes available in full length on our online partner sites.
In addition to the website, GREAT MUSEUMS has worked to develop an increasingly interactive and growing community of fans and followers on several social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. “We’re driving traffic to our website – and to our online media partners – daily via social media platforms,” observed Marc Doyle, Executive Producer for GREAT MUSEUMS TELEVISION. “Each platform allows us to showcase different aspects of the series, whether it be video clips, raw footage never aired, blog posts or even inspiration boards on Pinterest, which allow us to engage with the broader museum community. It’s a powerful medium – a terrific complement to the television series – and along with mobile, it’s a big part of our strategy moving forward.”
ABOUT GREAT MUSEUMS TELEVISION
GREAT MUSEUMS launched its first public television season in 2001, with 13 original half-hour episodes. As it quickly became an established and respected series with viewers and the museum world, executive producers Marc and Chesney Doyle began producing more in-depth one-hour specials on museums in America. GREAT MUSEUMS is one of the first High Definition series on public television. The series opens the doors of museums to millions of viewers through public television, new media and community outreach with the goal of “curating a community of learners.”
GREAT MUSEUMS is underwritten by the Eureka Foundation, a private 501(c)(3) foundation established to promote the educational power of television and new media.