Monday June 28, 8:45 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: American Interactive Media, Inc.
American Interactive Media's TVOD Networks Join EchoStar's Interactive Channel Service
TVOD Migrates Programming from Internet to Television
NEW YORK, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- American Interactive Media, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AIME - news) today announced that AIME's TVOD networks -- ComedyNet, CrimeBeat and Romanceland -- will be added to EchoStar's new on-demand convergent service.
EchoStar's high-speed interactive broadcast service, to debut late 1999, will offer subscribers on-demand multimedia information and entertainment through their televisions using specially designed EchoStar satellite receivers, all delivered through a small satellite dish. EchoStar's satellite broadcast will incorporate the best features of the Internet and TV -- providing interactive content with high quality audio, smooth video images, dynamic graphics and text -- accessible by a remote control.
Mark Graff, AIME's CEO, said, ''Our goal of incubating the TVOD networks on the Internet and then enlarging their audiences through television distribution is now being achieved with EchoStar's leading technology and service.''
Bill Zaccheo, President of TVOD, described the interactive viewing experience, ''Networks such as ComedyNet will be a rich multimedia experience on EchoStar's DISHPlayer. Microsoft's WebTV channel guide will help viewers find ComedyNet's homescreen, which will be running brief comedy videos such as Comedy On The Road. Other areas of the screen display video-on-demand options for comedy shows such as Scottland' Breakup Girl or the Toyota Comedy Festival. A customer who owns DISHPlayer and subscribes to WebTV can click his remote to view, pause or rewind shows in real time. Viewers can also click through to chat rooms to interact with comedians or visit message boards to exchange jokes. CrimeBeat and Romanceland will offer similarly rich interactive experiences.''
''American Interactive Media's content is another attractive addition to our line of high-speed, interactive channels,'' said Mark Jackson, EchoStar's senior vice president of Satellite Services. ''We continue to provide a variety of choices for our interactive customers from a multitude of subject areas. Comedy Net, CrimeBeat and Romanceland are prime examples of our aggressive strategy to offer diverse content.''
American Interactive Media will provide a customized feed of its Internet programming to EchoStar. In another unique feature, TVOD will host television-style video ads on its networks.
American Interactive Media, Inc. (http://www.aime-inc.com), headquartered in New York City, is creating original, branded entertainment programming that can be distributed over many platforms, including the Internet, cable and satellite television, and radio. The TVOD network pod includes ComedyNet, CrimeBeat and Romanceland.
EchoStar Communications Corp. includes three interrelated business units:
-- DISH Network(TM) is EchoStar's state-of-the-art DBS system that offers
customers over 300 channels of digital video and CD-quality audio
programming, fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant hardware and installation.
-- EchoStar Technologies Corporation (ETC, formerly HTS(TM) - Houston
Tracker Systems, Inc.), designs, manufactures and distributes DBS
set-top boxes, antennas and other digital equipment for DISH Network
and various international customers that include ExpressVu Canada and
Telefonica's Via Digital system in Spain. ETC also provides uplink-
center design, construction oversight and project-integration services
for customers internationally.
-- Satellite Services provides the delivery of video, audio and data
services to business television customers and other satellite users.
These services include satellite uplink, satellite transponder space-
usage and other services. Satellite Services also administers Sky
Vista, a direct broadcast satellite service offering up to 27 channels
of popular digital satellite television programming to viewers in
Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories in the Caribbean.
DISH Network currently serves over 2.4 million customers. DISH Network is a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation. HTS is a trademark of Houston Tracker Systems, Inc. DISH Network can be found on the Internet at: dishnetwork.com.
EchoStar and American Interactive Media notify readers that this news release may include comments that do not refer strictly to historical results or actions and may be deemed to be forward-looking within the meaning of the Safe Harbor provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including successful development and implementation of technology, acceptance of each company's products and services, competitive factors, news products and technological changes, and other such risks as each company may identify and discuss from time to time, including those risks disclosed in EchoStar's 10-K and 10-Q and AIME's Form 10 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, there is no certainty that the companies' respective plans will be achieved.
SOURCE: American Interactive Media, Inc |
