Azureus Partners with National Geographic Ventures to Offer Short and Long Form Factual-Based Programming

Business Wire, Feb 26, 2007

Deal Marks the First Peer-to-Peer Deal for National Geographic

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Azureus, the company behind one of the most popular Internet applications for the distribution of large files, today announced a content partnership with National Geographic Ventures (NGV) to offer a diverse selection of short and long form factual-based programming.

The deal marks significant momentum for the company since its launch in December 2006. The company has recently announced content partnerships with BBC Worldwide, Bennett Media Worldwide and Starz Media. High-resolution content from National Geographic Ventures will be available on Azureus' digital media platform currently code named Zudeo (www.zudeo.com).

"Our partnership with National Geographic Ventures further solidifies our commitment to provide users with diverse and entertaining content offerings," said Gilles BianRosa, CEO, Azureus. "We are excited to offer an exceptional online viewing experience for high resolution content from top-tier companies such as National Geographic."

Under the terms of the agreement, National Geographic Ventures will license short form video clips featuring animals, people and places, news and history, as well as long form factual-based programming to UK users of the service. Long form titles offered include: Pyramids of Death, King Tut's Curse, Lost Kingdom of the Maya, Da Vinci's Code Revealed, Surviving Everest, among others. A North American launch will follow shortly.

"National Geographic has an unrivaled reputation for producing entertaining factual content that appeals to a broad audience. It was only natural for us to partner with a company like Azureus in order to gain greater exposure for our unique programming," said Sandra Brown, NGV's UK-based head of strategy and development. "We are thrilled that the service allows users to view content the way in which it was intended."

Azureus provides an alternative distribution platform for content providers focused on genres for which there is an avid following. Azureus' new platform, currently code named Zudeo, enables content providers to publish, showcase, and distribute high resolution, long-form content easily, securely and at minimal cost. This includes video and games in High Definition or DVD quality over the Internet. Innovative service features also include content discovery through search, browsing, channels and tagging, as well as easier integration with firewalls, and a completely revamped, easy-to-use interface.

About Azureus Inc.

Azureus Inc. is the provider of the most popular P2P application for the transfer of large files. With more than three years of technology innovation, proven robustness, and more than 140 million downloads of its application, Azureus users connect with one another from more than 100 countries and 40 languages. In addition, leading companies including Sun Microsystems, employ Azureus servers to distribute applications or other content to their customers. The Azureus client is also included in Red Hat's Fedora Linux Operating System.

Today, Azureus operates a leading global video aggregation and distribution platform driven by the exchange of long-form, High Definition or DVD quality videos and licensed digital content from leading media companies. The new commercial-grade platform is supported by powerful peer-sharing technology, enabling its vast global community the ability to browse, share, search and discover unique multimedia entertainment in a high-resolution format. Visit www.zudeo.com for more information.

About National Geographic Digital Media (NGDM)

National Geographic Digital Media (NGDM) is part of National Geographic Ventures, the wholly owned, taxable subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, one of the world's largest educational and scientific nonprofit organizations. NGDM publishes Nationalgeographic.com; manages marketing and content partnerships across broadband, mobile, gaming, and other consumer digital platforms; and provides video and film footage to commercial, theatrical, education and other digital footage markets.