Companies unveil most comprehensive wireless program in U.S. Olympic history
NEW YORK and REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NBC Olympics
and AT&T Wireless (NYSE: AWE), a U.S. Olympic Team sponsor, today announced
that they will offer customers the most extensive collection of Olympic Games
content ever available on mobile devices in the United States. This
comprehensive wireless program will include on-air text message polling, video
highlight clips, mobile access to television listings and results, alerts,
trivia, an exclusive sweepstakes, and more.
A number of elements from the NBC-AT&T Olympics wireless program are
available now, including highlights from NBC's coverage of the U.S. Olympic
Team Trials, NBC promotional clips, weekly Olympic trivia, and a sweepstakes
offering the chance to win $25,000 in gold. The features and content of the
program will expand this week and throughout the duration of the Games.
In addition to its program with NBC, and in response to the growing demand
for its wireless data services, AT&T Wireless has introduced two Olympic-
themed bundled service offerings which combine some of the company's most
popular data services along with voice calling minutes.
"This summer, NBC will be covering the Athens Games 24 hours-a-day on
television, and we're excited to be able to extend our coverage to the
wireless telecommunications environment thanks to this innovative
collaboration with AT&T Wireless," said Gary Zenkel, Executive Vice President,
NBC Olympics. "Wireless telecommunications is just one of many ways that we
are reaching out to our audience, and this opportunity allows us to especially
target the younger viewer."
"Together with NBC, we'll extend the excitement of Athens from the TV
screen to the phone screen for millions of customers," said John Bunyan,
senior vice president of consumer data offers at AT&T Wireless. "Real-time
interaction with the Olympic Games using a variety of messaging and mMode(R)
services gives customers a fun and convenient way to share their enthusiasm
for this grandest of global traditions."
In-Broadcast Polling for Text Messaging Enthusiasts
For the first time ever, NBC's television coverage of the 2004 Olympic
Games will include a nightly primetime content feature, presented by AT&T
Wireless that will invite subscribers to vote for the "Athlete of the Games"
via text messaging. Final results will be revealed during NBC's primetime
broadcast on August 28, the final Saturday of the Games.
AT&T Wireless will also present on-screen opinion polls during Olympic
programming on NBC's Bravo and Telemundo networks. AT&T Wireless subscribers
will be able to send their answers via text messaging, with viewer responses
announced during the next day's broadcasts.
Unmatched Olympic Wireless Content & Features
AT&T Wireless has teamed with NBC and other content providers to become
the only U.S. wireless carrier to deliver the following collection of Olympic
content to its customers, with compatible devices, so they can stay wirelessly
connected to NBC's coverage of the Games and other aspects of the Athens
Olympics. The content elements include:
NBCOlympics.com on mMode service:
* News and features from NBCOlympics.com - including Olympic Trials
highlights and promotional video clips to results, medal counts, NBC
broadcast schedules, commentary from NBC experts, and more;
* NBCOlympics.com event schedules and results searchable by sport and
date;
* NBCOlympics.com customized alerts that deliver results by country or
event.
Text Messaging Content from NBC Olympics:
* Olympic Games Text Alerts - sent out up to three times daily while the
Games are underway;
* "Guess the GoldSM" fantasy game - customers can play along to predict
different medal winners daily via text messaging;
* Olympic Games Trivia - featuring weekly questions about this year's
events via text messaging.
Text and Picture Messaging Content from AT&T Wireless:
* "Reach for the GoldSM" sweepstakes - customers could win up $25,000 in
gold or other prizes for sending text and picture messages;
* A text message-based fan mail program enabling customers to send
messages of support and encouragement to members of the U.S. Olympic
Team;
* Live text message-based chats with U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps
and U.S. Olympic gymnast Carly Patterson;
* Olympic Spirit Photo Gallery - an online photo album for customers to
send their camera phone pictures to others.
Ringtones and Graphics:
* Popular Olympic ring tones - including the Olympic Games theme music
and national anthems from over 30 countries;
* Downloadable screensavers and graphics - including country flags and
Olympic Games sport pictures.
Olympic-Themed Service Plans:
* The Gold Value Package, starting at $59.99 per month, includes the
GSM(TM) America national plan (local plans available), hundreds of
anytime minutes, free nights starting at 7 p.m., free weekends, two
MBs of mMode usage, 200 outgoing text messages, 20 outgoing pictures
messages, and unlimited incoming text and picture messages, all with a
two-year agreement. This bundled package provides up to a 30 percent
savings over regular unbundled rates. Customers can also add
additional lines for just $9.99 per month and share minutes;
* The Silver Value Package, starting at $49.99 per month, includes the
GSM(TM) America national plan (local plans available), hundreds of
anytime minutes, free weekends, one MB of mMode usage, 50 outgoing
text messages, and unlimited incoming text and picture messages, all
with a two-year agreement. This bundled package provides up to a
10 percent savings over regular unbundled rates. Customers can also
add additional lines for just $9.99 per month and share minutes.
In addition, AT&T Wireless said it will host in-person appearances with
U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps Olympic in select cities after the 2004
Olympic Games have concluded. For more information on AT&T Wireless and the
company's Olympic-themed offers and content, visit
http://www.attwireless.com/olympics.
About AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless (NYSE: AWE) is the second-largest wireless carrier, based on
revenues, in the United States. With 21.737 million subscribers as of June 30,
2004, and revenues of more than $16.8 billion over the past four quarters,
AT&T Wireless delivers advanced high-quality mobile wireless communications
services, voice and data, to businesses and consumers, in the U.S. and
internationally.
About NBC Olympics
NBC, America's Olympic Network, will present unprecedented 24-hour,
around-the-clock coverage of the 2004 Olympic Games from Athens on seven
platforms - NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo and NBC's HDTV affiliates
- offering the most in-depth Olympic coverage in history, totaling 1,210 hours
and for the first-time providing some coverage of every one of the 28 Summer
Olympic sports. The 1,210 hours represents more coverage than the past five
previous Summer Olympics combined. The 1,210 total hours nearly triples the
441.5 total hours of coverage from Sydney on NBC, CNBC and MSNBC in 2000; and
is more than seven times the 171.5 broadcast hours from Atlanta on NBC in
1996. Over the 17 days of the Athens Games, NBC's coverage will average more
than 70 hours per day. Telemundo's Spanish-language broadcast will provide
the first non-English language Olympic broadcast in U.S. television history.
The 169.5 hours in Spanish on Telemundo nearly equals the 171.5 total hours of
all Olympic coverage on NBC from Atlanta just eight years ago. NBC holds the
exclusive U.S. media rights to every Olympic Games from 2000 through 2012 and
has presented exclusive coverage of every Summer Games since 1988.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements'' which are based
on management's beliefs as well as on a number of assumptions concerning
future events made by management with information that is currently available
to management. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation,
management's expectations regarding: our future financial and operating
performance and financial condition, including the company's outlook for the
fiscal year 2004 and subsequent periods; the outcome of our pending
transaction with Cingular; subscriber growth; industry conditions; the
strength of our balance sheet; our liquidity and needs for additional
financing; and our ability to increase revenue, margins and operating free
cash flow. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-
looking statements, which are not a guarantee of performance and are subject
to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside AT&T
Wireless' control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from
such statements. Without limitation these factors include: the risks
associated with the implementation of our technology migration strategy,
uncertainty concerning the effects of our pending transaction with Cingular,
our ability to continue to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of our
distribution channels, the potential competitive impacts of industry
consolidation or alternative technologies, potential impacts on revenue and
ARPU from competitive pricing and slowing penetration in the wireless
industry, the effects of vigorous competition in the markets in which we
operate, the risk of decreased consumer spending due to softening economic
conditions, acts of terrorism, and consumer response to new service offerings.
For a more detailed description of the factors that could cause such a
difference, please see AT&T Wireless' filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including the information under the heading "Additional Factors
That May Affect Our Business, Future Operating Results and Financial
Condition" and "Forward Looking Statements" in its annual report on Form 10-K
filed on March 5, 2004.
AT&T Wireless: NBC Olympics:
Jeremy Pemble - 425-580-5997 Alana Russo - 212-664-2014
Danielle Perry - 201-576-7707
|
