Wheel of Fortune and EarthLink to Host First-Ever Dot Com Sweepstakes for May Sweeps
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LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 27, 2000--
Wheel of Fortune Dot Com Sweepstakes Merges E-Commerce Phenomenon
with Popular Television Game Show Featuring Two Weeks of
Dot Com-Themed Shows and $1 Million Prize Pool from
EarthLink and Wheel of Fortune
Watch-to-Win Contests Offer Viewers Chance to Win
$100,000 in Cash and Prizes Daily
EarthLink (NASDAQ:ELNK), the nation's second largest Internet
Service Provider (ISP) has teamed up with Wheel of Fortune to add a
digital flair to the No. 1 syndicated television show.
Beginning May 1, Wheel of Fortune will air "The Wheel of Fortune
Dot Com Sweepstakes," featuring two weeks of dot com-themed shows and
a $1 million online sweepstakes.
Wheel of Fortune contestants and home viewers have the opportunity
to win cash and prizes from Wheel of Fortune and EarthLink's Premier
Partners -- a roster of leading Internet brands including Amazon.com,
USABancShares.com, Sprint, E*TRADE, Just Balls.com, PayMyBills.com,
Miadora and EarthLink's popular e-commerce site, The EarthLink Mall
(http://theearthlinkmall.com).
Home viewers can try their luck in a 10-day "Watch-To-Win"
Sweepstakes totaling more than $1 million in prizes. Daily sweepstakes
prizes include grand prizes totaling $25,000 from USABancShares.com,
and first, second and third prizes from Marriott's Vacation Club.com,
Sprint PCS and The EarthLink Mall.
The dot com theme is fully integrated throughout the Wheel of
Fortune's specially-created, innovative on-air set design. The game
show stage features a giant computer screen complete with a mouse and
mousepad, and a dot com-themed backdrop showcasing EarthLink's Premier
Partners.
The Wheel wedges feature gift certificates and prizes from
EarthLink Premier Partners and Wheel of Fortune. Additionally,
Amazon.com, PayMyBills.com, E*TRADE, USABancShares.com and The
EarthLink Mall will be presenting many of the Bonus Round grand prizes
to lucky in-studio contestants throughout the two weeks of special dot
com programming.
"The Dot Com Sweepstakes is a first-ever for television. Never
before has a television show integrated the e-commerce phenomenon into
its programming like the Wheel of Fortune Dot Com Sweepstakes," said
Howard Lefkowitz, vice president of business development at EarthLink.
"EarthLink is pleased to bring value-added, unique programs like
the Wheel of Fortune Dot Com Sweepstakes to our Premier Partners. The
game show environment offers EarthLink a great opportunity to showcase
our Premier Partners and real estate to Wheel of Fortune's 14 million
daily viewers."
Each day, host Pat Sajak will instruct Wheel of Fortune home
viewers to remember the dot com puzzle solution and log-on to
www.wheeloffortune.com to enter. In addition, a simultaneous mail-in
sweepstakes is available, providing viewers two ways to enter and win.
EarthLink members may access the Wheel of Fortune Web site by clicking
on a link from the EarthLink Personal Start Page(SM), or from The
EarthLink Mall.
Unofficial results from the Wheel of Fortune Dot Com Sweepstakes
Internet entries will be posted each day on the Wheel of Fortune
Sweepstakes Web site and will include grand, first and second prize
winners.
"We hope to challenge and entertain our viewers and contestants in
an entirely new way with these two weeks of Internet-themed shows and
sweepstakes," said Harry Friedman, Wheel of Fortune executive
producer.
EarthLink's highly successful Premier Partner program pairs
best-of-breed Internet brands with EarthLink's award-winning Internet
service. EarthLink Web properties such as The EarthLink Mall and the
Personal Start Page(SM), feature companies like Amazon.com, E*TRADE,
Sprint PCS and USABancShares.com that offer EarthLink members a
variety of services ranging from Web-based tools to customized news,
entertainment and financial content.
Since its inception in the fall of 1998, EarthLink's list of
Premier Partners has more than tripled -- from 20 to 70+ partners.
Through the EarthLink Premier Partner program, EarthLink has become an
industry leader in generating incremental revenue through non-access
advertising and e-commerce outlets.
On track to generate $50 million in incremental revenue this year
alone, EarthLink's Web properties are among the top 25 most visited
Web sites in the world, according to Nielsen ratings. According to
Media Metrix's March 2000 ranking of Internet service providers,
EarthLink's Web properties attract the most Web traffic by unique
visitors among all Internet service providers with visitors spending
an average of 23.5 minutes per day and an aggregated 123 minutes per
month.
About Wheel of Fortune
Since its 1983 syndication launch, Wheel of Fortune has awarded
more than $112 million in cash and prizes, averaging in excess of $7
million per year. This season, the dollar values on the Wheel have
been increased, generating even more excitement among the game show's
100 million worldwide weekly viewers. According to Nielsen ratings,
Wheel of Fortune has topped the rating charts as the No. 1 program in
syndication for an eye-popping 62 consecutive sweeps periods (NSI: May
1999) and has been ranked No. 1 among all first-run strips for the
past 786 weekly Nielsen ratings reports (NTI: 6/28/99). Wheel of
Fortune is televised in 204 U.S. television markets as well as in 54
international territories, including Australia, Canada, Croatia,
Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,
Malaysia, Romania, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Merv
Griffin is the creator and Executive Producer of Wheel of Fortune. The
game show is produced by Columbia TriStar Television, a Sony Pictures
Entertainment Company, and is distributed worldwide by King World
Productions Inc.
About EarthLink
EarthLink is one of the world's leading Internet service
providers, bringing the magic of the Internet to more than 3.46
million individuals and businesses every day. With headquarters in
Atlanta, EarthLink provides a full range of innovative access, hosting
and e-commerce solutions to thousands of communities internationally
from more than 5,000 points of presence. EarthLink is committed to
doing an exceptional job of pleasing its customers, shareholders and
the community by following the company's Core Values and Beliefs.
Information about EarthLink and EarthLink Sprint services is available
by calling 800/395-8425 and through EarthLink's Web site at
www.earthlink.net.
It's your Internet.
CONTACT: EarthLink
Kirsten Witt, 404/287-0924
or
Columbia TriStar Interactive
Lisa Delucia, 310/840-8955
or
Wheel of Fortune
Lisa Dee, 310/244-6280
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ELECTRONIC GAMES/MULTIMEDIA ENTERTAINMENT INTERNET
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