There has been buzz about Overture as potential takeover candidate of Yahoo with this new cash infusion (it just priced $750 million in convertible bonds).
Wouldn't it make MORE sense for Yahoo to buy Tivo and merge it with Yahoo! Platinum ?
platinum.yahoo.com
BW)(CA-YAHOO!)(YHOO) Yahoo! Unveils Its Premium Online Video and Audio Service, Yahoo! Platinum
To download high-resolution,
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 2003--Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO)
-- Yahoo! Platinum Presents Leading Entertainment, Sports and News Programming from CBS' SURVIVOR INSIDER, FOX's "American Idol," NASCAR.com, ABC News, CBS MarketWatch, The Weather Channel and More
-- 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Broadcast Live for the First Time Ever on the Web Through Yahoo! Platinum
Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading global Internet company, today unveiled its newest subscription service, Yahoo!(R) Platinum (http://platinum.yahoo.com), a premium online video and audio service featuring branded programming from leading entertainment, sports and news providers for both broadband and narrowband consumers. The new subscription service provides premium video and audio content from CBS' SURVIVOR INSIDER, FOX's "American Idol," NASCAR.com, CBS Sports' coverage of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship through its Internet rights holder SportsLine.com, ABC News, CBS MarketWatch, and The Weather Channel, among other providers. In coming weeks, Yahoo! Platinum plans to add programming from CNBC Dow Jones Business Video, National Geographic, Warren Miller Entertainment, and much more. With the launch of Yahoo! Platinum, Yahoo! continues to deliver on its strategy to be the most compelling entertainment, sports and news destination on the Web.
"Yahoo! Platinum is yet another example of Yahoo!'s ongoing commitment to innovate and set new standards of excellence in the convergence of entertainment and new media," said Dan Rosensweig, chief operating officer, Yahoo! Inc. "Our goal is to provide both broadband and narrowband consumers the best Internet experience possible by providing unrivaled access to the leading entertainment, sports and news programming available on the Web."
Yahoo! Platinum joins a growing collection of industry-leading entertainment and content offerings available on the Yahoo! network. Yahoo! Platinum is poised to benefit from Yahoo!'s position as the Web's No. 1 entertainment destination (February 2003, Nielsen//NetRatings), and Yahoo!'s robust audience in sports and news. Additionally, consuming video and audio content online is popular with consumers. A recent Arbitron/Edison Media Research (2002) study estimates that 103 million Americans (44 percent over the age of 12) have experienced "Internet broadcasts" of either audio or video in the last year, with 47 million having done so in the last month.
"With the significant increase in broadband adoption over the last two years, more consumers are turning to the Internet for their entertainment and information needs," said Jim Moloshok, senior vice president, Media, Entertainment, Information and Finance, Yahoo! Inc. "Yahoo! Platinum is designed to deliver an entertainment experience that is unmatched in quality and ease of use, incorporating exclusive content from the best brands consumers already turn to offline. We are thrilled to premiere Yahoo! Platinum with such a strong programming line-up, and look forward to constantly delivering consumers new and compelling content."
Programming available to Yahoo! Platinum and Yahoo! Platinum SportsPak members includes:
Leading Entertainment Brands
-- CBS' SURVIVOR INSIDER: Weekly packages of never-before-seen
video related to each "SURVIVOR: THE AMAZON" episode. Content
includes scenes from daily life in the camp, nighttime
activities, conversations and disputes between the Survivors,
as well as other insightful interviews not featured in the
network broadcast.
-- American Idol: Weekly access to never-before-seen video
related to each "American Idol" episode. Content includes
behind-the-scenes footage, rehearsal video, hometown visits
with the finalists, and footage of what it is like to be an
American Idol finalist.
Leading Sports Brands
-- NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship: For the first
time ever on the Internet, fans are able to watch and listen
to CBS Sports' exclusive, live coverage of all 56 games of the
first and second rounds and regional semi-finals of the
tournament, as well as press conferences and a variety of
other events surrounding the tournament games, through
Internet rights holder SportsLine.com.
-- NASCAR.com: Provides access to live NASCAR Winston Cup and
Busch series events, including GPS telemetry for NASCAR
Winston Cup races, leaderboard and scoring data, and in-car
and broadcast audio. Subscribers can also access condensed
versions of past Winston Cup races and thousands of NASCAR
audio and video clips.
Leading News and Information Brands
-- ABC News: Celebrity interviews and award-winning journalism
from World News Tonight, Primetime Thursday, 20/20 and Good
Morning America.
-- CBS MarketWatch: Market reports every half-hour from CBS
MarketWatch television and the MarketWatch.com Radio Network.
Also included are interviews with business newsmakers
throughout the day and features from the CBS MarketWatch
Weekend television program.
-- The Weather Channel: Daily video forecasts for major cities in
the U.S., along with regional reports highlighting the latest
weather information across the country.
Yahoo! Platinum Pricing and Availability
At launch, for $9.95 per month, Yahoo! Platinum programming includes: CBS' SURVIVOR INSIDER, Fox's "American Idol," ABC News, CBS MarketWatch, The Weather Channel, "NASCAR Races to Go," "NASCAR Race Day Audio," and "Best of NASCAR" audio and video. Additionally, the Yahoo! Platinum service includes live video coverage of two games from the first two days of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, along with select daily features and highlights.
For $16.95 per month, Yahoo! Platinum SportsPak(TM) features all 56 games from CBS Sports' coverage of the first and second rounds and regional semi-finals of the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, broadcast for the first time ever on the Web beginning on March 18, 2003, through Internet rights holder SportsLine.com. Yahoo! Platinum SportsPak also features a robust offering from NASCAR including "Live Leaderboard," "Pit Command," "Races to Go," "Race Day Audio," and "Best of NASCAR" audio and video. Additionally, Yahoo! Platinum SportsPak includes access to all of the entertainment, sports and news programming in the Yahoo! Platinum membership package.
Yahoo! Platinum User Interface
The Yahoo! Platinum user interface utilizes an innovative new design that provides consumers with an immersive entertainment experience delivered on a platform that enables personalization as well as integration with Yahoo!'s suite of community and communications offerings. Yahoo! Platinum's design allows consumers to create their own personalized rich media experience by providing easy navigation between media playback, related links, and content provider Web sites. Yahoo! Platinum functions through both the Real Networks and Windows Media Player technology, based on consumer and content provider preferences. Rich media content is available in 56K, 100K and 300K bit rate streams, providing a quality entertainment experience to both broadband and narrowband consumers.
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading provider of comprehensive online products and services to consumers and businesses worldwide. Yahoo! is the No. 1 Internet brand globally and the most trafficked Internet destination worldwide. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Yahoo!'s global network includes 25 World properties and is available in 13 languages.
Note:
Available on Associated Press via Business Wire (search for "Yahoo! Platinum"; or reference photo link to press release)
Screen shot available at: public.yahoo.com
Broadcast elements available via satellite; preview available at: webevents.broadcast.com
Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This news release contains forward-looking statements or predictions. These statements represent our judgment as of this date and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those associated with economic conditions, government regulations and delays or other problems with product development. These and other factors are discussed in more depth in both companies' filings with the SEC, copies of which may be accessed through the SEC's World Wide Web site at sec.gov.
Note to Editors: Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc.
All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Note: A photo is available at URL: businesswire.com
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CONTACT: Yahoo! Inc.
Sarah Ross, 408/349-5172
sross@yahoo-inc.com
or
Fleishman Hillard
Michelle Andersen, 415/318-4101
andersem@fleishman.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: E-COMMERCE INTERNET SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT PHOTO
PHOTOWIRE PRODUCT
SOURCE: Yahoo! Inc.
PHOTO: bb4 |
