Walt Disney Internet Group Web Properties Experience Traffic Increases During January 2001

Business Wire, Feb 20, 2001

Business Editors

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 20, 2001

ABC.com, ABCNEWS.com, Disney Online, ESPN and Mr. Showbiz

All Register Traffic Increases

Walt Disney Internet Group's (NYSE:DIG) Web properties ABC.com, ABCNEWS.com, Disney Online, ESPN.com and Mr. Showbiz all experienced traffic increases in January 2001 according to Media Metrix, an independent measurement firm.

Walt Disney Internet Group sites continue to reach nearly 22 million unique users or 25% of the Internet universe.

"The ABC, Disney, ESPN and entertainment branded properties are all leaders in their respective categories online, and are able to take advantage of their strong offline counterparts to drive traffic and create multiple revenue opportunities," said Steve Bornstein, chairman, Walt Disney Internet Group. "With these properties, we will continue to build new businesses for The Walt Disney Company by utilizing the unique attributes of the Internet - interactivity, community and personalization -- that drive our current narrowband strategy and growth in traffic, and will propel our broadband and wireless strategies going forward."

The ABC, Disney, ESPN and entertainment properties experienced the following growth:

-- ABC.com increased its unique users 12% in January, due mostly to the "Write
Norm's Punch Line" promotion and the introduction of interactive programming
associated with The Mole, including chats with executed players and exclusive
video. In addition, users increased the number of days they came to the site
during the month, page views and time spent on the site 10%, 33% and 13%,
respectively. January also saw Ford having a major presence on the site, due
primarily to a multi-dimensional American Movie Awards sponsorship package.

-- ABCNEWS.com registered a 15% month-over-month increase in unique users.
Also, ABCNEWS.com's traffic is 32% higher than the same period a year ago,
which is indicative of continued, steady growth in traffic for the site. In
January 2001, ABCNEWS.com featured interactive programming to accompany
Nightline's five-part series, "The Clinton Legacy", extensive companion
programming for the Presidential Inauguration, which was the first ever to be
streamed live, and the introduction of "Kitchen Tips" on the Good Morning
America page. Bayer is currently sponsoring Good Morning America content on the
site, as well as the Healthy Heart Quiz as part of Healthy Heart Month.

-- Disney Online increased its unique users by 13% in January 2001. Also, those
visitors looked at 27% more pages and increased their minutes per day 19%
compared to the previous month. Year-over-year, Disney Online's pages per
visitor and time spent on the site are up 25% and 86%, respectively. In
January, Disney Online served as the gateway to the Web site featuring Disney's
California Adventure, The Walt Disney Company's newest theme park that opened
February 8th.

-- ESPN again held its number one position in the online sports category and
has increased its year-over-year reach nearly 10%. In addition, ESPN.com
accounted for 66% of all sports page views generated by the leading sports Web
sites in January 2001. ESPN.com generated 217.4 million page views in January,
more than three times that of its nearest competitor. Users also continue to
spend more time on ESPN.com than its competitors, with 41.5 minutes per month,
exceeding its nearest competitor by nearly 20 minutes. ESPN.com saw more
success with its Big Impression advertisers during Super Bowl week, featuring
ads from Universal Studios and Levi's.

-- Mr. Showbiz increased its unique users 37% in January 2001, due primarily to
its coverage of The Sundance Film Festival. Mr. Showbiz's coverage featured a
live Web cam, celebrity interviews, and party coverage.

Walt Disney Internet Group (NYSE:DIG) manages many of the most popular Web sites and services, including Disney.com, the number one Web site for kids and families; ESPN.com, the leading sports site; ABC.com, the leading broadcast network site; and ABCNEWS.com, one of the leading news sites. Additional properties include Family.com, Mr.Showbiz, Movies.com, Wall of Sound, DisneyAuctions.com, DisneyStore.com, DisneyVacations.com, Soccernet.com and NFL.com. Walt Disney Internet Group also produces Enhanced TV telecasts in conjunction with select ABC Television and ESPN programming and includes the catalog operations of The Walt Disney Company and 19 Disney-branded international properties. Steve Bornstein is the chairman of Walt Disney Internet Group, which is headquartered in North Hollywood, CA, and has operations in Bristol, CT; Seattle; New York; and London.