CW lines up digital studio show

US broadcast network The CW is to air the first series developed by its fledgling digital studio, CW Seed.

Backpackers (10×30′) will premiere this summer, with the first four episodes based on material previously released as digital episodes on CW Seed. The final six shows will be written and produced specifically for the TV network.

The show features two best friends who race across Europe in search of a missing bride-to-be, while struggling with question about what to do with their lives.

It is produced by US prodco Shaftesbury and its digital arm, Smokebomb Entertainment, and has been developed for TV by Jay Bennett.

CW Seed will also launch a reality series to accompany the TV show, which will explore the best places to eat and drink in Europe.

The CW launched its new digital studio and website in August to serve as an incubator for new talent and ideas.

Rick Haskins, exec VP of marketing and digital programmes at The CW, said: “We are continuing to look at CW Seed for other possibilities to transform content and for creative new ways of doing business.”

Both the original digital show and the extended TV version are part of Shaftesbury’s slate at this week’s MipTV, along with Smokebomb’s 3D science fiction series State of Syn, which was made for Hulu and Google Glass. The firm is also shopping tween series Totally Amp’d and Unlikely Heroes, which were made for Canadian broadcaster YTV and Hulu.