BIGE has lots of upside. The recent deal with CBS for 100M in marketing will bring lots of recognition to the co.'s sites Hollywood.com and others. The news today re: Sega shows that they are continually expanding.
Also read about other recent deals:
Key Alliances and Transactions
BigE announced several new transactions and strategic alliances during the second quarter and more recently, in addition to expanding relationships with certain key existing partners, including:
Hollywood.com: On May 20, 1999, BigE completed the acquisition of Hollywood.com.
CinemaSource: On May 18, 1999, BigE completed the acquisition of CinemaSource, the nation's largest provider of movie showtimes listings to the Internet industry. Internet portals and websites that obtain their movie showtimes listings from CinemaSource include Yahoo!, Excite, Go Network, CitySearch, and Zip2, among others.
CBS: In the second quarter, Big Entertainment signed an agreement in principle with CBS for CBS to receive an initial 35 percent ownership interest (with warrants to purchase an additional 5 percent ownership position) in the Company's Internet businesses, Hollywood.com, bigE.com and CinemaSource, in exchange for $100 million of promotion and content support over a period of seven years. Completion of the CBS transaction is subject to finalizing transaction documents and customary closing conditions.
Yahoo!: Two alliances were announced: -- Yahoo!Shopping: bige.com's products are now available through
Yahoo!© Shopping ( shopping.yahoo.com ). The agreement with Yahoo!
allows millions of Yahoo! Users to easily access bige.com's wide assortment of
movie merchandise.
Yahoo! Auctions: The bigE.com e-commerce site joined forces with Yahoo! Inc. to offer entertainment memorabilia and other hard-to-find collectible merchandise on Yahoo! Auctions ( auctions.yahoo.com ), a leading interactive commerce marketplace connecting one of the Web's largest audiences of sellers and buyers.
AOL-Latin America: Recently announced is a multi-year commerce and content agreement under which Hollywood.com will be an Anchor Tenant in the Entertainment Channels of AOL branded services in Latin America, and BigE's e- commerce studio store, bigE.com, will be prominently positioned in the Shopping Channels of AOL branded services in Latin America.
Baseline: On June 15, 1999, the Company signed an agreement in principle to acquire the motion picture Internet and data properties of media industry analyst Paul Kagan for $10 million in Big Entertainment securities. Assets to be purchased include pkbaseline.com, one of the largest and most authoritative databases of movie and TV information.
Microsoft: Microsoft and Hollywood.com announced that Hollywood.com will be using the new Microsoft Windows Media Technologies 4.0 platform to deliver high-quality streaming trailers and interviews.
ICTV: During the second quarter, the Company announced an agreement for Big Entertainment's bigE.com studio store to be added to ICTV's broadband Internet access service. ICTV is the first company offering high-speed Internet access, e-mail services, and an extensive library of educational and entertainment CD-ROM titles delivered over cable to television.
Steeplechase: During the second quarter, the Company announced an agreement with Steeplechase Media Inc., one of Hollywood's leading interactive TV content developers. BigE will make available entertainment-related merchandise through e-commerce by clicking on a ``BigE link' that Steeplechase will integrate into its various interactive TV and broadband projects.
latimes.com: As a component of the acquisition of Hollywood.com from The Times Mirror Company, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, the Company's e- commerce studio store, bigE.com, was granted the right to be the exclusive studio store on latimes.com.
Advance Internet: During the second quarter, the Company entered into an online content and e-commerce agreement that positions BigE's online studio store, bigE.com, as the exclusive studio store on Advance Internet's Websites. Advance Internet Inc. ( www.advance.net ) is a subsidiary of Advance Publications, Inc., owner of newspapers in 22 cities as well as Conde Nast Magazines; CondeNet; Parade; and React.
Intertainer: During the second quarter, the Company announced that bigE.com movie and television merchandise will be available on the Intertainer service. Intertainer is the only interactive broadband network providing a full spectrum of entertainment-on-demand to both the cable and telco industries.
Avantgo: During the second quarter, Hollywood.com was named a strategic partner for the AvantGo.com interactive Internet service, placing content from the popular movie Web site into the palms of handheld computer users. Hollywood.com is part of AvantGo.com's ( www.avantgo.com ) lineup of free personalized content and rich interactive applications available to users of Palm OS and Windows CE-based handheld computers.
Movie showtimes via email: Hollywood.com's ShowTimes Direct is now delivering customized e-mail messages direct to users with information about movies opening during the current week. When users sign up for the service, they can specify favorite local movie theatres. At least once a week, they receive an e-mail announcement. Users then follow links contained in the e- mail, which lead to a Web page on Hollywood.com with movie listings in their neighborhood.
CDs and Music: Hollywood.com announced that it will be expanding into the music category by adding over 250,000 CD titles for sale and providing information online about current and upcoming music events in most major cities. Music sales fulfillment for Hollywood.com will be handled by a third- party distributor, allowing customers to order CDs and movie merchandise in a single, convenient, online shopping experience.
New Hire: Hired media veteran, Donna Freed, to be Executive Vice President to head up the Company's new Strategic Marketing Group for Hollywood.com. Prior to joining Hollywood.com, Donna was vice president of advertising and marketing for Times Mirror's Los Angeles Times. |
