TV.COM ANNOUNCES CONTENT AGREEMENTS WITH NCAA® AND THOUGHT EQUITY MOTION, STARZ MEDIA AND MORE

Looks like Hulu will have a contender in the online TV game..


Adds to Existing Line-Up of Premium Content Providers, Bringing TV.com's total Video Library to More than 2,000 Hours of Content



SAN FRANCISCO, March 17 — TV.com, the place where television lives online, today announced content deals with NCAA and Thought Equity Motion, and Starz Media, along with niche content providers like Smithsonian Channel, Comedy Time, Howcast and WatchMojo. This adds to its line-up of existing agreements with premium content companies, including Endemol USA, Metro Goldwin Mayer Studios Inc., PBS, SHOWTIME, Sony Pictures Television and CBS. The addition of this content brings TV.com's total video library to more than 2,000 hours of content, spanning everything from today's most popular shows to coveted classics.



"TV.com already benefits from a massive online community, and our job from here on out is to layer more content on top of this great community to further engage and expand our audience," said Anthony Soohoo, Senior Vice President and General Manager, TV.com. "We continue to see massive growth in video viewers and streams as more and more people turn to TV.com for information and content around their favorite television shows. We create a highly complementary experience to television, one that uses content to fuel active discussions among our community of TV fans."



Through a deal with CBS, the NCAA, and NCAA content library rightsholder Thought Equity Motion, all available semifinal and final games from the Men's Final Four between 1982-2008 are available for viewers to watch in either a full-length format or a condensed two-minute highlight package at TV.com. Additionally, viewers also can watch NCAA highlight packages set to music, including classic footage from NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships including the 1979 Final Four championship game featuring Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and many other great games and players from the past.



Starz Media's Manga Entertainment content available on TV.com will include full episodes of Astro Boy and Virus, as well as short-form videos from titles, including Ninja Scroll, Kai Doh Maru, Street Fighter Alpha, and Hellboy: Blood and Iron, with many more to come.

"Starz Media's Manga Entertainment library has proven very popular with anime enthusiasts and we are very pleased to make some of our best content available to TV.com users," said Marc DeBevoise, senior vice president, digital media, business development and strategy for Starz Media. "We look forward to expanding this content lineup in the future and building our partnership with TV.com."





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Smithsonian Channel will offer shows including "Stories from the Vaults" hosted by Tom Cavanagh, "Remembering Vietnam: The wall at 25," and the Emmy® winning Nature Tech. Comedy Time, which offers stand-up comedy and original episodic programming known as "Funnysodes"® from today's best comedic talent, will offer content from its brands including "Comedy Time," "Comedy Time Latino" and "Comedy Time Urban." The TV.com audience will also have access to videos from Howcast, the best source for fun, free, and useful how-to videos, and WatchMojo.com, one of the largest producers of original, professionally-produced, evergreen, ad-friendly high-quality video content, will provide profiles and interviews with musicians and filmmakers, scripted entertainment comedy skits, and fashion shows from runways around the world.



TV.com's content providers have their videos viewed by one of the most active and largest community of TV fans online. People come to the site for its rich content and dedicated community, posting an average of 6 social contributions per second – things like forum posts and poll votes – for a total of more than 18 million social contributions per month on the site. In addition, as the site continues to layer more premium video content on top if its community and information features, TV.com posted a 184% increase in unique viewers, 844% increase in streams, and 3101% increase in minutes year-over-year (Nielsen VideoCensus February 2009).



About TV.com

TV.com is one of the leading unbiased destinations for premium entertainment and community around TV. The site features video content such as full episode streams, video-clips, live-event coverage and behind-the-scenes footage, plus expert editorial content like entertaining features and weekly podcasts. The site also provides in-depth show summaries, episode guides and downloads, bios, photos, news, and more on over 19,000 TV series. This content is greatly enriched by one of the largest and most vocal communities of TV fans who express themselves via show summaries, reviews, ratings, blogs, forums, polls, and videos.



About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Coca-Cola and Pontiac—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Enterprise, The Hartford, Hershey's, Lowe's, Sheraton and State Farm.



About Thought Equity Motion

Thought Equity Motion is the world leader in providing access to high quality film, video and music content. The company's forward-thinking approach to digital video has produced an array of products and services to meet the exploding demand of emerging media. Widely recognized for its expertise in licensing rights, Thought Equity Motion is the licensing agent for renowned media companies including Paramount Pictures, MGM, NBC News, HBO, National Geographic, Sony Pictures, the NCAA and hundreds of others. With offices located around the world, Thought Equity Motion offers the broadest, deepest content collection available. This vast collection, combined with leading-edge technology, makes Thought Equity Motion the preferred destination for multimedia professionals. To learn more, go to www.thoughtequity.com.

About Starz Media

Starz Media, LLC, is a programming production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes the Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming – including theatrical films – and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.

BANG ZOOM! ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCES SPECIAL STREET FIGHTER EPISODE OF “MANGA MINUTES”

New Episode Coincides With Debut Of Capcom’s Street Fighter IV Video Game And Spotlights Related Manga And Anime On Popular Manga.com Web Site



Burbank, Calif. and New York, NY, March 16, 2009 – Bang Zoom! Entertainment, a leading full-service audio post production company and producer of original entertainment content, has produced a special new episode of “Manga Minutes” focusing on the popular Street Fighter® video game, manga, and anime properties. Video game manufacturer Capcom recently released the highly anticipated Street Fighter IV, the next iteration of the genre-establishing fighting game series. This marks the first new video game entry announced for the property in nearly eight years, following the acclaimed Street Fighter III Third Strike. The Street Fighter episode is available at: www.manga.com/channels/manga-minutes.



“Manga Minutes” is a fun, new web-based series that complements Manga Entertainment’s destination site, Manga.com. “Manga Minutes,” which has been nominated for a 2009 Webby Award, features a unique blend of video, product-related information and other editorial content and offers fans a customized way to experience a wide range of manga and anime. “Manga Minutes” is hosted by Yoko and Rogue, a duo of lively, animated hosts and showcases reviews of anime, manga, and video games from a variety of publishers. Manga.Com is the official site of Manga Entertainment, a leading publisher of anime titles such as Ghost in the Shell, Astro Boy, Ninja Scroll, Blood: The Last Vampire, and many more.


Street Fighter revolutionized the fighting genre and created a global legacy since its debut over 20 years ago. Street Fighter started a phenomenon in arcades in 1987 and went on to spawn several successful sequels that continue to be played. The massive popularity of the game further inspired a feature-length anime film, a live-action movie starring Jean Claude Van Damme, a manga series, and an array of trading cards and other collectables.



“The massive international fan base for Street Fighter epitomizes the synergy between video games, anime, manga and film and the special feature on Manga Minutes gives a fun and informative look at how this unique game has impacted all these genres,” says Grant Luke, Capcom Sr. Product Marketing Manager.



“Licensed content from throughout the “Street Fighter” franchise has been amongst of the most successful in the broader Manga Entertainment library of content,” said David Katz, Executive Director, Digital Media for Starz Media’s Manga Entertainment. “We celebrate the release of Capcom’s ‘Street Fighter IV’ with this special ‘Manga Minutes,’ as well as special promotions we have on Facebook (“Street Fighter” wallpaper), YouTube (Street Fighter playlist on Manga Entertainment’s YouTube channel), and more at Manga.com.”



Street Fighter IV is the latest in the wildly popular franchise and promises to deliver an extraordinary experience that will re-introduce the world to the fast-paced action of virtual martial arts. Capcom brings 25 fighters, including the return of the original 12 World Warriors, Ryu, Chun-Li, and more. The characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D computer graphics (CG), while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. Mixing tried-and-true classic moves and techniques with all-new game play systems, Street Fighter IV brings a brand new fighting game to eager fans around the world.



“Street Fighter has captivated millions of players around the world for more than two decades and the enduring popularity of the related anime and manga have prepped nearly two generations of fans for the debut of Street Fighter IV,” says Eric P. Sherman, President of Bang Zoom! Entertainment. “With plenty in store for the new game and lots of other related genres to explore there is plenty to get excited about in this latest Manga Minutes episode!”





About Capcom
Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment. Founded in 1983, the company has created world-renowned franchises including Resident Evil®, Street Fighter®, Mega Man®, Breath of Fire®, Devil May Cry® and the Onimusha® series. Headquartered in Osaka, Japan the company maintains operations in the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany, Tokyo, Korea and Hong Kong. More information about Capcom and its products can be found on the company’s web site at www.capcom.com.



About Manga Entertainment

Manga Entertainment Ltd. is an entertainment company specializing in the production, marketing and distribution of Japanese animation for theatrical, television, Internet, DVD and home video release worldwide. The Manga film library is marketed and distributed in the U.S. through Anchor Bay Entertainment. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in London and Tokyo. Manga Entertainment is a division of Starz Media LLC (www.starzmedia.com), a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, attributed to Liberty Capital Group.



About Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Inc.

Headquartered in Burbank, California, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Inc. is a leading and award winning full service audio post production studio working in the fields of feature films, television, electronic entertainment, anime and direct to home entertainment projects. Founded in 1993, Bang Zoom! Entertainment maintains operations in the U.S. with three buildings, six recording/mixing stages and a staff of just under 200 actors, writers, directors and technicians. Bang Zoom! Entertainment is committed to carrying out innovative projects that contribute to the promotion of global cultural awareness. More information about Bang Zoom! Entertainment and its products can be found on the company’s web site, which is located at www.bangzoomentertainment.com.