Brampton, ON-based Entertainment One and U.K. producer Bryan Elsley have partnered up to release e-books based on his new TV series Dates set to air on Channel 4 in the U.K.
The show is a nine-part, half-hour drama that examines the complexities of modern relationships through various dates.
The e-books, which can be purchased individually or as a set of 10, will take the reader deeper into characters’ lives, and occasionally pick up where the character left things on screen.
“We want our audience to enjoy the television series and then deepen their experience with an absorbing set of short stories which bring them even closer to the characters,” Elsley said in a statement.
Books and TV shows have a long symbiotic history. It’s quite common for TV shows to be based on books, such as the upcoming shows, Klondike and The Last Ship, not to mention super-popular Game of Thrones and Dexter. And kids entertainment franchises not already based on literary properties almost always spin out into books.
Less common is the adult TV-to-book formula, though that does remain popular in the sci-fi/fantasy realm, with cult favourites like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly garnering continued comic book audiences.
But with the proliferation of tablets, the e-book-only offerings seems a natural space for brands looking to extend the viewing experience, continuing transmedia’s evolution beyond webisodes and games.
With files from Danielle Ng-See-Quan
