SEVL has news out it might get interesting today. I like their technology. I don't knnow where its going to open but it looks to be gapping a little.
GeoCities in Pact to Promote 7th Level Animated
Character Technology
tagged for: RNWK SEVL GCTY FORR
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DALLAS (Dec. 4) BUSINESS WIRE -Dec. 4, 1998--
Starts with Free Digital Santa that Members Can Use
To Create Talking Animations for Their Websites
7th Level, Inc. (NASDAQ: SEVL) and GeoCities (NASDAQ: GCTY) announced
that GeoCities -- the world's largest and fastest growing community of personal
websites -- is offering exclusively to GeoCities members a special text-to-speech
version of 7th Level's Agent 7 animated character technology.
The special holiday version of Agent 7 enables GeoCities members to create
reusable animations of Santa Claus and six other seasonal characters. Members can
lip-synch the characters using text-to-speech synthesis in a variety of different
voices to create -- within seconds -- an unlimited number of animations for their
personal web sites.
This unique version of Agent 7, offered as a free download to all GeoCities
members, marks the beginning of a marketing relationship between GeoCities and
7th Level to promote the complete line of 7th Level enhanced communications
applications. Plans include special promotions for Mail 7, Present 7 and a variety
of special character pack offerings later this year and in early 1999.
GeoCities is supporting the marketing effort with integrated text mentions and
rotating banners throughout the GeoCities community from now through February
1999. In addition, 7th Level will actively participate in the GeoCities House
Warming program, featuring targeted emails to the 12,000 new members that join
GeoCities every day.
The special version of Agent 7 is being promoted on GeoCities' first "Holiday
Member Tools Showcase" of festive animations, backgrounds and graphic add-ons.
The page (http://www.geocities.com/members/addons/7thlevel/) also features links
to 7th Level's www.7thlevel.com, where members can get more information on
7th Level's interactive animated character applications.
"The spirit of the holidays provides the perfect opportunity for us to offer a gift
from 7th Level and GeoCities to our rapidly growing member base," said Michael
Barrett, GeoCities Vice President of Advertising Sales. "Our members are quickly
adopting enhanced communications for their web sites, emails and messages, and
we are pleased to work with 7th Level in growing this expanding business."
Donald Schupak, Chairman of 7th Level, said the GeoCities agreement marks the
beginning of web community expansion for 7th Level's enhanced communications
technology throughout the Internet. "As the Internet consolidates, through
combinations like America Online and Netscape, users will consolidate into web
communities like GeoCities, which have become some of the hottest growth areas
on the Net," he explained.
"Enhanced communications technology will play an increasing role in
differentiating online services and communities by expanding use for current
members and attracting new customers," he said. "A recent report from Forrester
Research, for example, predicted that 25% of all personal email by the year 2001
will contain some form of enhanced multimedia functionality."
Richard Merrick, CEO of 7th Level, noted that the GeoCities agreement follows
7th Level's first major technology adoption agreement in which RealNetworks
(NASDAQ: RNWK) will market and support a version of 7th Level's Agent 7 that
enables RealNetworks' new G2 Internet multimedia technology to feature
interactive, talking animated characters.
"By working closely with GeoCities on our marketing efforts, we can offer their
members true differentiation for their web sites, email and instant messaging
needs," Mr. Merrick said. "We look forward to a long relationship with GeoCities
and its members." About GeoCities
Based in Marina Del Rey, Calif., with advertising sales offices in London, New
York and San Francisco, GeoCities (www.geocities.com) is the world's largest and
fastest growing community of personal Web Sites on the Internet. 2.9 million
GeoCities Homesteaders, members who have built personal Web Sites, have created
an estimated 22 million pages of personalized content. In September 1998, the
GeoCities site generated more than 1.4 billion page views according to Nielsen
I/PRO, and in October 1998, the site attracted over 19.2 million unique visitors,
according to Media Metrix. GeoCities was the fifth most trafficked Web Site on
the Internet in October 1998, according to Media Metrix. About 7th Level
7th Level, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is the leading provider of enhanced
communications technology for creating interactive animated characters to
expand the effectiveness and reduce the cost of media-rich webpages, emails and
presentations for a wide variety of online and desktop applications.
For professional developers and consumers who want to increase the effectiveness
and reduce the cost of media rich presentations and communications, 7th Level
technology has become the industry standard for quickly and inexpensively
producing broadcast quality, lip-synched interactive, animated characters for
Internet and Windows 95/98 applications. Unlike costly and time-consuming
traditional methods of producing frame-based animation, 7th Level's
voice-activated characters can be used to create an unlimited number of
interactive, animated sequences in seconds.
For more information, visit the 7th Level website at www.7thlevel.com.
-0- sw/ny*
CONTACT: 7th Level, New York
Gary Fishman or Kimberly Boshara, 212/527-4808
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