NBC, ValueVision and NBCi Enter Strategic Alliances With SelfCare.com; Cross-Platform Agreements to Bring Health &Wellness Commerce to Television &the Internet

Business Wire, Feb 9, 2000

Business Editors, High Tech &Entertainment Writers

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2000

NEW YORK, MINNEAPOLIS, SAN FRANCISCO and EMERYVILLE, Calif., Feb. 9, 2000--

NBC, ValueVision International, Inc. (Nasdaq:VVTV), a leading national shopping network, and NBC Internet, Inc. (Nasdaq:NBCI) today announced multiple-year strategic alliances with SelfCare.com, a leading health and wellness e-commerce site targeting women and their families. The alliances give SelfCare.com an integrated, cross-platform media package spanning network and cable TV and the Internet, including: advertising and promotion, programming, e-commerce and email marketing on NBC, NBCi and ValueVision's SnapTV.

Under terms of the agreement, NBC and its affiliated partners, NBCi and ValueVision, will acquire minority equity stakes in SelfCare.com in exchange for cash and advertising across both NBC's network and Owned and Operated Stations, as well as Internet distribution and e-commerce services on NBCi's Snap. SelfCare.com also will use a combination of cash and equity to purchase programming, e-commerce, distribution and promotion packages on NBC, ValueVision's SnapTV home shopping network and NBCi's Snap Internet portal. Financial details regarding the transactions were not disclosed.

National Advertising

As part of the deal, NBC will provide SelfCare.com with promotion on the NBC television network and across NBC's 13 owned and operated stations. NBC will also receive a seat on SelfCare.com's board of directors, which will be held by Claudia Taylor, Vice President of Business Development for NBC. In addition, NBC will have access to SelfCare.com's health-related content as well as health and wellness experts.

SelfCare.com on SnapTV

ValueVision and SelfCare.com will co-produce programming for a one-hour weekly show on ValueVision's SnapTV home shopping television network, the fastest growing national shopping network that now reaches 31 million households. SelfCare.com, the TV show, will help consumers make informed decisions about their own and their families' health by demonstrating a wide range of products, sharing condition-related information and providing access to leading health experts. SelfCare.com will also be prominently featured in the shopping portion of ValueVision's Web site, VVTV.com, and will be highlighted in the health and beauty section.

E-Commerce Anchor Tenancy on Snap

As part of its agreement with NBCi, SelfCare.com has purchased an e-commerce anchor tenancy in the Health Channel of NBCi's Snap Internet portal and will become a featured merchant in the Healthy Living Shop of Snap's popular Snap Shopping service. SelfCare.com's distribution agreement with NBCi's Snap will be supported by multiple online media and direct email promotional campaigns.

&uot;Partnering with the NBC family of offerings through NBC, NBCi and ValueVision gives SelfCare.com the kind of exposure and cross-platform opportunities unmatched by any other combined media entity. We can't think of a better set of partners to help us build on the foundation of our early successes in the online arena,&uot; said Jeffrey Rose, Chairman and CEO of SelfCare.com. &uot;The combination of NBC broadcast and cable television advertising exposure, our own branded SnapTV programming and anchor tenancy on the Snap Internet portal will help solidify our position as the leading resource for health and wellness products, rich, credible information and extensive community support.&uot;

&uot;The online health and wellness sector is booming, and SelfCare's integration of commerce and content provides the ideal environment for customers to make educated decisions about their families' well being and then act on them,&uot; said Marty Yudkovitz, president of NBC Interactive. &uot;We're pleased to have the opportunity to expose NBC, NBCi and ValueVision's SnapTV viewers and online users to SelfCare.com's unparalleled offerings, and we look forward to working with SelfCare.com to leverage NBC properties to their best advantage.&uot;

&uot;We're delighted to welcome SelfCare.com to our network of consumer-focused partners offering premium branded products in a rapidly growing marketplace,&uot; said Stuart Goldfarb, vice chairman of ValueVision. &uot;This agreement will help SelfCare.com expand awareness of its products and services through the additional national exposure generated through new and interesting programming on ValueVision's SnapTV. Our viewers will benefit as well from receiving access, information and an opportunity to purchase SelfCare.com's wide-ranging product offerings at compelling values.&uot;

Chris Kitze, CEO of NBCi said: &uot;SelfCare.com is an ideal anchor commerce tenant for Snap's Health Channel, and we're looking forward to combining high quality health content from our existing anchor content tenant with top quality wellness products from SelfCare.com. This combination of powerful content with e-commerce opportunities creates a dynamic model for providing our users with the best of the Internet.&uot;