GO.com and eBay Announce Multiyear Strategic Marketing Agreement
Business/Entertainment Editors & High-Tech Writers
NORTH HOLLYWOOD and SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8,
2000--
eBay Will Become the Online Person-to-Person Trading Site for
Disney's GO Network Portal and Introduce Co-Branded
"Merchant-to-Person" Sites for Disney.com, ESPN.com and ABC.com
In a joint announcement today, GO.com (NYSE:GO) Chairman Steve
Bornstein and eBay (Nasdaq:EBAY) (www.ebay.com) President and CEO Meg
Whitman announced a comprehensive four-year agreement between the two
companies.
The agreement brings together eBay, the world's leading
person-to-person online trading community, and GO.com, the Internet
business of The Walt Disney Company, to develop and market online
trading experiences in a co-branded person-to-person site and new
merchant-to-person sites.
According to the terms of the agreement, eBay will ultimately
become the online trading service across all of Disney's Internet
properties, including the GO Network portal. The companies intend to
develop, implement and promote a co-branded person-to-person trading
site for the GO Network at ebay.go.com.
In addition, the companies will collaborate on the development of
several merchant-to-person trading sites in an auction format for
Disney.com, ESPN.com and ABC.com, that will showcase unique, exclusive
and authenticated products, props and memorabilia from throughout The
Walt Disney Company, including Walt Disney Studios, Disneyland and
Walt Disney World, ESPN Cable Networks and ABC Television.
To inaugurate the new merchant-to-person site, GO.com will launch
Disney.com auctions, which will list exclusive products for the
celebration of the 100-year anniversary of Walt Disney's birth, and
has plans to follow with auctions highlighting Disneyland's 45th
Anniversary, the Princess Collection and Disney rides and attractions.
The ESPN auctions site will serve as a premier source of
authentic vintage and current sports memorabilia, and exclusive items
direct from ESPN. ABC.com's auction site will be a leading online
destination to find authentic props, costumes and memorabilia from
ABC-produced shows.
GO.com and eBay will also work together to develop special event
auctions, including auctions featuring movie sets, props and
memorabilia from movies from Walt Disney Studios.
Both the co-branded person-to-person site and the new
merchant-to-person trading sites will be widely promoted across the
online and off-line assets of The Walt Disney Company. Online traffic
will be driven to the sites from many of Disney's online properties,
including ABC.com, ABCNEWS.com, ABCSports.com, Disney.com, ESPN.com,
Family.com and Mr. Showbiz.
In addition, the companies plan to promote the sites throughout
Disney's traditional off-line properties, including the ABC Television
Network, ABC Radio Network, ESPN Cable Networks, Disney Channel, the
Disney Catalog, theme parks, the annual Disneyana Convention and in
other special events and promotions developed by the companies. GO.com
will continue to have a relationship with uBid through the term of its
current agreement.
In making the announcement, Bornstein said: "This agreement is
critical to GO.com's new strategy of focusing our portal on
entertainment, recreation and leisure activities.
"The combination of exclusive merchandise from across the Disney
company, terrific distribution from the GO.com family of Web sites,
Disney's unparalleled promotional capabilities and eBay's vibrant
online community should create a world-class online trading
environment. Our innovative collaboration, highlighted by eBay's first
merchant-to-person online trading sites, will provide GO.com users a
distinctive and fun community and trading experience."
"Disney and eBay are widely regarded as pioneers and marketing
leaders in their respective businesses," said eBay CEO Meg Whitman.
"This relationship is a first for us as we unite our efforts to create
a powerful online trading destination, supported by Disney's unrivaled
consumer marketing expertise.
"We believe our 10 million-member community will benefit greatly
from GO.com's presence and the new members they will bring. We look
forward to GO.com joining as a valued member of the community,
bringing people from around the world to the co-branded site and the
merchant-to-person sites to bid on merchandise and enjoy the
experience that only GO.com and Disney can create."
About eBay
eBay (www.ebay.com), the world's personal trading community,
pioneered person-to-person online trading. Founded in 1995, eBay has
developed an efficient and entertaining trading site on the Web that
is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. eBay has more than 10
million registered users. Currently, there are nearly 4 million
items listed for sale.
More than 450,000 items are added daily in more than 4,300
categories, including antiques; books, movies and music; coins and
stamps; collectibles; computers; dolls and figures; jewelry and
gemstones; photo and electronics; pottery and glass; sports
memorabilia; and toys.
About GO.com
GO.com is the result of the November 1999 merger between Infoseek
Corporation and The Walt Disney Company's online unit, Buena Vista
Internet Group (BVIG). As part of the transaction a new class of
equity was created. GO.com is traded on the New York Stock Exchange
under the ticker symbol GO.
Headed by Chairman Steve Bornstein, GO.com oversees many of the
Web's most popular sites and services, including the GO Network
portal, ABC.com, ABCNEWS.com, ABCSports.com, Disney.com,
DisneyStore.com, toysmart.com, ESPN.com, ESPNStore.com, NFL.com,
NBA.com, Soccernet, Family.com and Mr. Showbiz.
Headquarters is in North Hollywood, with operations
in Sunnyvale, Calif.; Seattle; New York; and London.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ
materially from those discussed. Factors that could cause or
contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the
timing and costs of developing the co-branded Web sites, user
acceptance of the new sites, and availability of appropriate
merchandise for the new merchant-to-person sites. More information
about potential factors which could affect eBay's business and
financial results is included in eBay's Form 10-Q for the period ended
September 30, 1999 under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations" and the prospectus supplement filed with the SEC on
January 27, 2000. All forward-looking statements are based on
information available to eBay and The Walt Disney Company on the date
hereof, and neither company assumes any obligation to update such
statements.
--30--WAM/la* KR/la
CONTACT: GO.com
Michelle Bergman, 818/623-3944
michelle.bergman@corp.go.com
or
eBay Inc.
Kristin Seuell, 408/558-7431, kristin@ebay.com
Jennifer Chu, 408/558-7432, jchu@ebay.com
or
Manning, Selvage & Lee
Holly McDermott, 415/364-3815, hmcdermott@mslpr.com
Kelly Ranger, 415/364-3823, kranger@mslpr.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: E-COMMERCE ENTERTAINMENT INTERNET
MARKETING AGREEMENTS
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