InterVU AND AdForce Form Strategic Relationship To Provide A Turnkey Rich Media Online Advertising Solution

Business Wire, Oct 13, 1998

SAN DIEGO & CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 13, 1998--InterVU Inc., (NASDAQ: ITVU), a full service provider of online video and other rich media solutions, and AdForce, provider of the industry-leading centralized online ad management service, today announced a strategic alliance that combines the strengths of their respective offerings to provide a turnkey rich media online advertising solution for Web sites advertisers, advertising agencies. This joint offering will enable Web sites, advertisers and agencies to easily and efficiently develop, place, manage and serve online advertising incorporating rich media elements including audio, video, VRML, Java applets, Shockwave, Flash and interstitials. The solution will also provide end-user interaction reporting, and will leverage InterVU's rich media integration program that assists Web sites in their efforts to be technically enabled to smoothly incorporate a range of rich media formats.

Through this partnership, InterVU and AdForce are able to offer clients the seamless integration of all the necessary services and capabilities needed to implement an online ad campaign. As a result, the clients can maintain a single point of contact for the duration of such campaigns, simplifying and centralizing the process.

"By working with InterVU and leveraging the powerful rich media management and delivery capabilities of InterVU's network, AdForce is able to expand its ability to serve the full spectrum of rich media formats in online ad campaigns," said Michael Tanne, AdForce vice president of U.S. business development. This allows us to better fulfill our customers' technical and creative requirements," continued Tanne.

Industry studies indicate that rich media in online advertising has greater impact and typically encourages greater end-user interactivity. Through the higher degrees of interactivity, brand recall and direct response, and the various courses of action which flow from it, incorporating rich media in online advertising is proving to significantly influence the end result and impact of campaigns.

"AdForce and InterVU are both committed to rich media advertising and together we hope to facilitate the growth and adoption rate of this powerful advertising vehicle on the Internet," said Ed Huguez, InterVU COO. "To help realize this collective goal, InterVU's mission is to forge strategic relationships with leading players in the online advertising industry - such as AdForce - to marry the strengths of our individual offerings to form powerful, turnkey rich media online advertising solutions. By doing so, InterVU hopes to become the de facto standard for the delivery of audio and video into rich media formats.

"This relationship with AdForce, along with other strategic announcements InterVU is making relative to the online advertising industry, signals a focusing of InterVU's resources to supporting the industry as a whole, and an overall dedication to providing the network delivery infrastructure that will enable seamless and effective video and rich media online advertising solutions," Huguez continued.

About AdForce

AdForce is an end-to-end online ad management service that enables both online publishers and advertisers to leverage the unique advantages of the Internet as the first fully interactive medium. Advanced inventory management and targeting capabilities help Web publishers sell more inventory at higher values. Ad agencies maintain complete control over complex campaigns, enabling real-time optimization and delivering maximum value for their clients.

About AdForce Inc.

Founded in 1994 as IMGIS, Inc., AdForce is a leading provider of centralized advertising management services. Deploying advanced technology and backed by a robust data center, the AdForce' service delivers more than one billion ads monthly for well-known customers including GeoCities, Magnet Interactive, Modem Media. Poppe Tyson, Netscape and 2Can Media. AdForce has strategic partnerships with America Online, Inc. and Experian (formerly Metromail Corp.), both of which have made minority investments in the Company. Privately held, AdForce has raised over $35 million in net funding. Additional leading investors include Attractor Investment Management, Convergence Partners, Hambrecht & Quist, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and 21st Century Venture Capital Fund. One of the industry's leading privacy advocates, AdForce has offices in Cupertino, Costa Mesa and New York City.

About InterVU Inc.

InterVU's proprietary network infrastructure utilizes a configuration of intelligently distributed servers, called Delivery Centers, strategically located across nine Internet backbones to optimize rich media file availability for Web sites. The Delivery Centers determine which of its multiple, globally dispersed servers is electronically closest to the end-user in order to quickly and efficiently deliver the rich media from that location, thus avoiding data bottlenecks and ensuring smooth delivery.