AOL to try long-form video with documentary series ‘Connected’
AOL’s online video network is going long on a new documentary series.
The New York company’s AOL On Network, currently best known for quick-hit Web videos, has commissioned the series “Connected” as its first foray into “long-form” programming, meaning its episodes will be roughly 30 minutes long like a regular TV show.
“Connected,” adapted from an Israeli series, follows the lives of five New Yorkers who are given video cameras to document their lives, and whose seemingly disconnected story lines eventually intersect, the company said.
The new series will be a departure for AOL On Network, which typically deals in series such as the athlete-centered tattoo show “My Ink,” Gwyneth Paltrow’s “Restart Project” and Nicole Richie’s “#CandidlyNicole.” The last, loosely based on the “Simple Life” alum’s social media feed, was recently picked up for an eight-episode season on VH1.
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“Our original content offerings are constantly evolving, and long-form was the natural next step,” said Ran Harnevo, president of AOL Video, in a statement.
The Israeli version of “Connected” was created in 2009 and is airing its fifth season. The show currently airs in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Holland, India, Ireland, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Romania and Ukraine.
Israeli TV production company Koda Communications will produce the show, and rights were acquired from the country’s Armoza Formats. AOL has planned on 20 episodes.
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