more road runner.
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jun 7, 1999 (BUSINESS WIRE via COMTEX) -- LAUNCH Media Inc.
(NASDAQ: LAUN) Monday announced a strategic partnership with Road Runner(TM), the
leading high-speed online service in the United States, to provide an array of
broadband-enabled music content to Road Runner subscribers.
LAUNCH has agreed to provide content that includes streaming music videos, downloadable
music tracks, video interviews, concert performances, as well as exclusive LAUNCH editorial
content. The video content will be encoded at 300 Kilobytes per second with near-broadcast
quality picture.
LAUNCH is providing Road Runner with content created for LAUNCH properties
LAUNCH.com (www.launch.com), the Web's premier site for discovering new music, and
LAUNCH on CD-ROM, a precursor to the broadband experience. Road Runner is jointly
owned by Time Warner, MediaOne, Microsoft, Compaq and Advance/Newhouse.
"LAUNCH is a leader in developing compelling broadband programming, and we look forward
to providing Road Runner subscribers with a music experience that they can't get anywhere
else," said Dave Goldberg, chief executive officer of LAUNCH. "We are very excited to be
working with Road Runner; they are an ideal partner as they continue to develop a strong
broadband user base."
"Our programming mandate is to provide our customers with the richest possible array of
programming," said Rebecca Paoletti, director of programming at Road Runner. "LAUNCH's
expertise in the production of music content for the broadband space will be a great addition
to the programming currently offered on Road Runner."
To cross market the two brands, Road Runner will have links to LAUNCH.com whereby Road
Runner subscribers will have access to programming designed specifically to showcase the
capabilities of broadband delivery.
In addition, Road Runner will promote all Web events and new features to subscribers on all
Road Runner "channels" and will make the information available to all affiliate cable
operators. The LAUNCH programming will be featured on the Road Runner Entertainment
"channel," for which LAUNCH has category exclusivity.
In April, Road Runner announced it had in excess of 250,000 subscribers as of the end of the
first quarter 1999. Combined with the more than 1 million registered members of
LAUNCH.com, both companies expect an increase in traffic.
"We believe that with all of the cross marketing we plan to do, we will be able to drive the
subscriber base and brand awareness of both companies," continued Goldberg. "With the
growth of the broadband market, consumers are increasingly demanding the kind of content
over the Internet only LAUNCH can deliver in the music space.
"Furthermore, broadband delivery works within our long-term goal to phase out the costly
production and shipping of LAUNCH on CD-ROM each month, while still delivering a great
music product to consumers."
About LAUNCH With headquarters in Santa Monica, LAUNCH is a digital media company
focused on creating the premier Internet destination for discovering new music. Leveraging
the inherent advantages of digital media, LAUNCH offers a compelling music discovery
experience for consumers and provides a valuable marketing platform for record labels,
artists, advertisers and merchants.
LAUNCH delivers its content on the Internet at www.launch.com and on the monthly
LAUNCH on CD-ROM. LAUNCH is currently providing co-branded content to an array of
partners including MSN, AOL, @Home, EchoStar, Yahoo!, Snap and Infoseek/GO.
About Road Runner Road Runner is currently available to approximately 8 million homes.
The service will eventually be able to reach more than 30 million cable homes nationwide.
Road Runner is a joint venture among affiliates of Time Warner Inc., MediaOne Group,
Microsoft Corp., Compaq Corp. and Advance/Newhouse.
Road Runner combines the resources and strategic talent of the five partners who are world
leaders in media, broadband communications, computer software and hardware, and
publishing. The Road Runner character is a trademark and copyright of Warner Bros., a
division of Time Warner Entertainment L.P.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties
including, among others, LAUNCH Media Inc.'s operating history, anticipated losses, the
unpredictability of its future revenues, competition, risks associated with management of
potential growth, and risks of new business areas, international expansion, business
combinations, and strategic alliances. Actual results could differ materially from those
discussed. More information about factors that potentially could affect LAUNCH's financial
results are included in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including its Registration Statement filed on April 23, 1999, as amended, each available
online at sec.gov. All forward-looking statements are based on information
available to the company on the date hereof, and the company assumes no obligation to
update such statements.
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