TV Land's "Ultimate Fan Search" to be Enhanced Online by HyperTV With Livewire

Business Wire, July 18, 2000

Business Editors/Television Writers/High Tech Writers

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 18, 2000

TV Land Online and HyperTV(R) with Livewire today announced plans to launch their first interactive, Enhanced TV game show in conjunction with TV Land's popular Ultimate Fan Search game show.

Hosted by Chuck Woolery on-air and Mr. T online, online players will be able to test their knowledge in real-time, against the on-air contestants and compete against fellow online players for prizes including the grand prize of $10,000. TV Land will air 19 episodes of its Ultimate Fan Search Monday, July 31st through Sunday, August 20th from 10:00 PM - 10:30 PM ET/PT.

TV Land, a Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA) entertainment property, is one of the fastest-growing and highest-rated cable networks. HyperTV with Livewire, the entertainment industry's dominant Enhanced TV service provider, is a joint venture between ACTV's (Nasdaq: IATV) HyperTV Networks and Liberty Livewire Corporation (Nasdaq: LWIRA).

To participate in TV Land's Ultimate Fan Search Enhanced TV convergence experience, TV Land viewers log-on to TVLand.com, register and download the free HyperTV software plug-in. TV Land viewers only need to have a television set and a computer with an Internet connection (minimum 28.8Kpbs) located in the same room to fully enjoy the interactive experience.

In addition to playing along, the synchronized delivery of web content will include fun facts about the hosts, information about the on-air contestants, factoids about TV Land's programming, and special bonus questions only available for online users. Online participants will also be able to chat with other trivia buffs, while playing online.

Unlike other game shows, which have only one host, TV Land's Ultimate Fan Search (UFS) will have two. Along with well-known TV game show host, Chuck Woolery, who will do the honors on-air, Mr. T -- famed TV personality -- will host UFS' online game. Mr. T will appear in on-air promotion for the online game, pose a question of the day on TV then answer it online, as well as play against and chat with the first 24 registered players live - each Monday: July 31st; August 7th; and August 14th - on the site. Mr. T will continue to be the game's online host after the TV tournament ends. TV Land viewers will also be able to play an online home version of TV Land's Ultimate Fan Search 24 hours a day, seven days a week, beginning Monday, August 21st.

"TV Land's Ultimate Fan Search was a resounding success last year and HyperTV with Livewire adds a truly compelling new element for our second run," said Larry W. Jones, Executive Vice President and General Manager, TV Land. "The show's TV trivia format is naturally interactive and lends itself to an Enhanced TV experience. This will be the first of many convergent projects for TV Land and tvland.com."

Bruce Crowley, president of ACTV's HyperTV Networks, said, "TV Land's viewers will enjoy a truly unique and powerful new entertainment experience when they log on to the Enhanced TV component of TV Land's Ultimate Fan Search. Not only will they be able to play along with the first airing each night, but they will also be part of a dynamic online community of TV Land viewers and TV fans across the country."

Bill Airy, vice president of Liberty Livewire Corporation's Interactive Services Division, added, "Liberty Livewire is setting the standard with our state-of-the-art web hosting and distribution services, and we are eager to rapidly expand the availability of HyperTV with Livewire to others in the entertainment and advertising industry. We're pleased to share our HyperTV capabilities with another member of the Viacom family of networks."

HyperTV with Livewire currently targets the "two box, two screen" audience of viewers who are creating their own interactive television experiences. According to a survey released in June 2000 by Dataquest, a unit of Gartner Group, 44 million individuals in the U.S. watch TV and simultaneously surf the Web. By the beginning of 2001, the number is projected to reach 52 million U.S. consumers, up from 27 million in 1999.

As more sophisticated and powerful digital set-top box technology proliferates, and as more companies offer high-speed Internet access, HyperTV with Livewire anticipates that viewers will enjoy HyperTV experiences with both video and synchronized Web content and functionality delivered simultaneously to their TV ("one box, one screen").

ABOUT TV LAND

Since April 29, 1996, TV Land has built an environment unlike any other found in television: a network created by TV fans for TV fans. TV Land's daily dose of hit shows, classic commercials and rarely seen television gems have resonated with viewers to make TV Land the highest-rated cable network launched in the past five years. Now seen in over 47 million homes, the network's eclectic program mix features popular dramas, sitcoms, westerns, Retromercials(R) and a TV-referential interstitial environment, all programmed with a specific audience in mind - the first generation of Americans to grow up watching television.