- Much-loved television brand brought into the digital space for the first time
- Independent website for online valuations and sales goes live
- 15,000 programme clips to be available through website
Monday 8th April 2013, LONDON: In a landmark first for the Argonon group, the independent global production company headquartered in London, New York, Vancouver and Los Angeles, CashInTheAttic.com today launches as the definitive online hub for fans of antiques, collectibles and vintage items. A unique, interactive and content-rich site, CashInTheAttic.com represents a break-through for TV content creators around the globe as a new commercial model for extending a TV brand online, harnessing the power of the web to attract a new audience.
A brand extension of the much-loved Leopard Films television brand, Cash In The Attic – which has run for 10 years on the BBC and has been sold to 167 countries worldwide to date – CashInTheAttic.com allows regular traders and first-time sellers alike to have items valued by a panel of experts, sell their items through the site, access unique insider information and interact with like-minded people.
CashInTheAttic.com invites members of the public to upload images, videos and descriptions of items for the team of independent valuation experts to value. With 20 experts across 35 different categories, CashInTheAttic.com’s team of experts will respond to an item within 48 hours with a valuation along with advice about how that item should be sold. Low value items can be sold directly through the site’s ‘Marketplace’ function, which links to online auction sites like eBay, and individual’s with high-value items of interest will be guided through the process of trading the item professionally through the site’s partner auction houses.
Users will also now for the first time be able to access video clips of all items ever valued on the TV programme, comprising over 15,000 clips in total, now all organised and categorised by type. An antiques, auction and community news and features section; an aggregator platform of items in the wider antiques, collectibles and vintage world to be viewed or bought; a forum where users can interact directly; a classified ads section; and an industry events calendar complete the list of the site’s features.
CashInTheAttic.com is launched by MD, Martin Lowde, the former Director of Digital Entertainment at 19 Entertainment. The Cash in the Attic format is produced and owned by Argonon, the super-indie production group, formed by Leopard Films CEO James Burstall in 2011.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Lowde commented: “We are very excited to take this global television format into the digital space and introduce Cash In The Attic to a whole new audience. Our ambition is to de-mystify the world of antiques by connecting the public to the UK’s leading experts in this area and to present all information in easy-to-understand, jargon-free language. We expect the site to have universal appeal and look forward to welcoming a new generation of antiques fans, and all those simply curious about how much their stuff might be worth, onto CashInTheAttic.com for the first time.”
James Burstall, CEO Argonon, added: “Today is a landmark moment for the Argonon group and the wider TV industry. We’re delighted to be in a position to take one of the world’s most popular programme formats and re-imagine it for the digital age. We believe this trail-blazing model will help us to realise our key strategic ambition to grow IP across international markets and platforms, as we continue to venture further into the ever-evolving digital space.”
Built by London-based multi-platform specialists, Miomni, the site showcases a range of technological innovations; from the sites’ unique digital media platform for cloud-based content and asset management; to the automated “p-linking” (product linking) function which allows users to access similar items from the programme to their own items in real time. The site utilises the Miomni UGC model to allow users to upload video and image content, which is then automatically transcoded into over 40 formats for delivery to web, mobile and tablet formats, as well as forthcoming platforms for connected TVs and set top boxes. Miomni also developed the corresponding i-phone application which launches in conjunction with the site.
This latest development follows a raft of strategic announcements by Argonon CEO James Burstall in the past year designed to help accelerate the growth of the digital area of the business. Argonon hired Accelerate Worldwide Ltd, the commercial management consultancy co-founded by former CEO of AOL Europe Kate Burns, to help support its digital growth strategy. Laura Bessell-Martin was recently appointed Argonon COO with a remit to drive strategic acquisition and commercial exploitation of IP across all areas of the business; and award-winning ex-Endemol Head of Interactive Entertainment Tom Blakeson joined as Chief Creative Officer at Remedy Productions.
For further information, please contact House PR:
Ffion Williams / Rich Turner
020 7 291 3039 / 020 7 291 3021