Sling Media Raises $46.6 Million in Funding From Goldman, Sachs & Co., Liberty Media Corporation and Echostar Communications

Business Wire, Jan 31, 2006

SAN MATEO, Calif. -- Sling Media, Inc., a digital lifestyle products company, today announced it closed a $46.6 million round of financing. Goldman, Sachs & Co., Liberty Media Corporation and Echostar Communications led the financing round. Allen & Co. LLC, DCM -- Doll Capital Management, Mobius Venture Capital, The Hearst Corporation and other undisclosed investors also participated in the financing.

"We are delighted to receive financial backing from some of the true pioneers in the industry. Over the past several decades these leaders have played an integral role in building and shaping the media world we live in today," said Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO of Sling Media, Inc. "It is refreshing to work with such established players who continue to push for new ways to delight and empower the consumer. In summary, we are stoked."

Sling Media's first product, the Slingbox(TM), is a breakthrough consumer electronics device that enables consumers to watch their living room TV programming from wherever they are by turning virtually any Internet-connected Windows-based laptop or desktop and any Windows Mobile-based PDA or smartphone into a personal TV. The Slingbox redirects, or "placeshifts," a single live TV stream from a basic cable connection, cable box, satellite receiver or digital video recorder (DVR) to the viewer's PC -- located anywhere in the home or anywhere in the world, via the Internet.

This past holiday season the Slingbox was one of the hottest holiday gifts and has been met with critical acclaim from major personal technology reviewers, including columnists for The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, MSNBC, CNET.com and The Financial Times, among others. The Slingbox has also received numerous industry awards across multiple categories, spanning innovation, engineering and design. Sling Media most recently received a PC World "Innovations" award, Time Magazine's "Best Inventions of 2005," BusinessWeek's "Best Products of 2005," a "Best of What's New" award from Popular Science and a "Breakthrough Innovation" award from Popular Mechanics.

About Sling Media

Sling Media, Inc. is a digital lifestyle products company creating a family of consumer electronics solutions that are a natural extension of today's digital way of life. The first member of the Sling Media family is the award-winning Slingbox(TM), a device that allows consumers to access their living room television experience at any time, from any location, using a variety of different displays including laptops and desktop PCs, PDAs and smartphones. The Slingbox is available from leading retailers nationwide and through Sling Media's own website. For more information on Sling Media or the Slingbox, visit www.slingmedia.com.