Broadcast.com and SOFTBANK form Joint Venture to Launch Broadcast.com Japan
Partnership will Aggregate and Broadcast Japanese Language-Based Audio and
Video Programming on the Web
DALLAS, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadcast.com (Nasdaq: BCST), the leading
aggregator and broadcaster of streaming media programming on the Web, and
SOFTBANK Corp., today announced that they have formed a joint venture to
launch broadcast.com japan. The new joint company will aggregate and broadcast
Japanese language-based audio and video programming to Internet users in
Japan, and will also sell broadcast.com's Internet and intranet broadcasting
services to business customers in Japan. In addition, the joint company will
have access to broadcast.com's vast archive of tens of thousands of hours of
English language-based programming, including sports events, music CDs, and
videos.
"Broadcast.com is pleased to be partnering with SOFTBANK, the leading provider
of information and distribution services in Japan, to expand our market reach
to Japanese consumers and businesses," said Todd Wagner, chief executive
officer of broadcast.com. "Through this joint venture, we will make compelling
audio and video programming available to the estimated 12.1 million Internet
users in Japan, while also extending our turnkey business-to-business
broadcasting services to Japanese corporations."
"Japan has a significant percentage of homes with ISDN lines and other high-
speed connections to the Internet," said SOFTBANK CEO and President Masayoshi
Son. "Many Japanese users will be able to enjoy high-quality video and CD-
quality audio as broadcast.com japan introduces this unique service to Japan."
About SOFTBANK
SOFTBANK Corp. is a leading provider of information and distribution services
for the digital information industry. In Japan, SOFTBANK is the largest
distributor of software and computer technology publications. In the U.S.,
SOFTBANK owns approximately 72% of Ziff-Davis, Inc. (NYSE: ZD), 31% of Yahoo!
Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO), 80% of Kingston Technology Company, and 27% of E*Trade
Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGRP)
About broadcast.com
Broadcast.com (Nasdaq: BCST) is the leading aggregator and broadcaster of
streaming media programming on the Web wit the network infrastructure and
expertise to deliver or "stream" hundreds of live and on-demand audio and
video programs over the Internet or intranets to hundreds of thousands of
users. The broadcast.com Web sites offer a large and comprehensive selection
of programming, including sports, talk and music radio, television, business
events, full-length CDs, news, video, commentary and full-length audiobooks,
serving an average of more than half a million unique users per day.
Broadcast.com broadcasts on the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
and its programming includes more than 370 radio stations and networks, 30
television stations and cable networks, and game broadcasts and other
programming for over 420 college and professional sports teams. Broadcast.com
also provides Internet and intranet broadcasting services to businesses and
other organizations, including turnkey production of live and archived press
conferences, earnings conference calls, investor conferences, trade shows,
stockholder meetings, product introductions and media events. For more
information on broadcast.com and its live and on-demand programming, visit
www.broadcast.com.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties, including those relating to the ability of broadcast.com japan
to successfully aggregate Japanese language-based programming and to
successfully sell broadcast.com's Internet and intranet broadcasting services
to businesses in Japan. More information about potential factors which could
affect broadcast.com's business and financial results is included in the
Company's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q on file with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov). The Company cautions investors that its
business and financial performance are subject to substantial risks and
uncertainties.
Broadcast.com is a trademark of broadcast.com inc.
SOURCE Broadcast.com
CO: Broadcast.com; SOFTBANK Corp.
ST: Texas
IN: CPR MLM ENT
SU: JVN
01/25/99 07:22 EST prnewswire.com |
