CBS/FOX, BBC, HOLLYWOOD ONLINE TO RUN 'DR. WHO' MULTIMEDIA DRIVE

DAN ALAIMO

NEW YORK -- CBS/Fox Video is joining with BBC Lionheart and Hollywood Online for the industry's first multimedia promotion, said Mindy Pickard, vice president of marketing for CBS/Fox Video.

The promotion will tout the release of six new titles of the "Dr. Who" science fiction series, which has been running on television for 31 years, she said. It will start in mid-May.

"This is our way of forging ahead and dipping our toe into the area of new technologies. Both CBS/Fox and BBC are committed to embracing all of the new interactive technologies," said Pickard.

An interactive multimedia kit has been designed, which computer users can tap through the Hollywood Online area of America Online, a computer information service. This will provide in-depth information about "Dr. Who." The kit also will be available on floppy disks for Macintosh and Windows computers that will be given out free to purchasers of two "Dr. Who" titles, said Pickard.

"The interactive information superhighway is so prevalent in the news that it has become a mass market topic. This video promotion will give supermarkets a chance to embrace these new technologies in a very easy and user-friendly way," she said.

The six new titles are "Planet of the Spiders," "Resurrection of the Daleks," "Robot," "City of Death," "Terminus" and "The Aztecs." Release date is May 18, with an order cut-off on April 25. Suggested retail price is $19.98.

An insert card that comes with the videos will highlight all 46 of the "Dr. Who" videos, said Pickard. "So it will pull through catalog sales across the board," she said.