Kyte Launches Premium Player, Premium Facebook Applications and Live Video Streaming at SXSW

Business Wire, March 10, 2008

Media and Entertainment Industry Capitalize on Massive Viral Distribution and Monetization Opportunities

AUSTIN, Texas -- Kyte today announced significant updates to its social communications platform that allows artists to monetize their brand and grow their audience during a time when the music industry is suffering from declining album sales. The availability of the new Kyte Premium Player, which features custom branding and viral functionality, along with Kyte's new branded Premium Facebook applications with live streaming capability allow artists and fans to communicate directly, buy and sell merchandise and share multimedia content in real-time using a webcam or a mobile phone.

"It's no secret the music industry is in a time of struggle and looking for new and innovative ways to turn artists into brands, so they can capitalize on their image instead of relying on album sales," said Daniel Graf, co-founder and CEO of Kyte. "We think SXSW is the perfect venue to launch the Kyte Premium player because it presents another opportunity for musicians and filmmakers of all sizes to promote themselves and reach a wider audience."

Kyte is currently working with artists from all four major record labels, as well as various artist management companies and independent labels, to capture exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of their tours as well as everyday life. These artists use the Kyte Platform to broadcast mobile video in real-time to multiple online and mobile destinations. Artists such as 50 Cent are achieving millions of show views and massive viral content distribution across thousands of websites.

"My fans are so important to me and being able to communicate with them and share the parts of my life that are real and authentic just by using my phone is incredible," said Grammy-nominated artist Raheem DeVaughn. "Kyte allows me to reach out to my audience in a new and meaningful way and the best part is that with this technology my fans can share themselves with me, too. I plan to use Kyte to connect with new people everyday and introduce them to me and my music -- this is the future of artist promotion."

Kyte Premium Player

Designed to meet the needs of media and entertainment partners, the Kyte Premium Player sets a new standard in digital artist promotion and online brand building.

The player delivers a high level of visual and functional enhancements, including custom player branding, elevated viral elements and e-commerce integration -- meaning that artists can now sell their films, music and merchandise using their Kyte channel. Best characterized as a "super-widget," the Kyte Premium Player provides unmatched revenue opportunities and promotional possibilities for media companies, recording artists and filmmakers. The Kyte Premium Player blurs the line between producer and audience, converting passive viewers to active participants and engaging the audience through real-time, two-way communication.

Kyte's advanced social communications platform features live video streaming, multimedia chat, easy-to-use production tools and immediate distribution across the web, mobile and IPTV.

Kyte Premium Facebook Applications

The Kyte Premium Player can be delivered as a custom branded Facebook application, allowing artists to connect with fans and deliver a self-contained media experience to one of the most popular social networks on the Web.

The Kyte Premium Facebook application is more than a simple widget -- it's a branded social communications platform, featuring live video streaming, multimedia chat, viral distribution capabilities and monetization opportunities.

Despite its sophisticated feature set and broad customization options, a custom branded Kyte Premium Facebook application can be deployed in minutes using a simple web-based tool. Furthermore, Kyte-powered video content can now be shared amongst friends using Facebook's messaging system. Meaning friends can send shows to one another and interact with the player from within their Facebook inbox or Wall.

Live Streaming

Live webcam streaming is now available on the Kyte platform, allowing users to connect in real-time, chat and comment on posts as they happen and broadcast a continual video stream to multiple destinations, instantaneously.

Live mobile streaming is currently in private beta and will be available to users in the spring. Nokia N95 users can sign up for the beta now at http://www.kyte.com/platform/mobile_producer_beta_form.> About Kyte

Kyte provides anyone -- from consumers to major recording artists -- with an easy way to instantly broadcast mobile and online video to multiple destinations, including social networks, blogs and other mobile phones. For content creators, publishers and mobile operators, Kyte provides new revenue opportunities and viral distribution channels through an engaging social communications experience. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with a European office in Zurich, Switzerland. Investors include Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Telefonica, Nokia Growth Partners, Steamboat Ventures, Intellect Capital Ventures, DoCoMo Capital, Holtzbrinck Ventures, Swisscom and others. For more information, please visit: http://www.kyte.com.