SCI FI CHANNEL LAUNCHES NEW BROADBAND PROMOTION TO HELP OPERATORS DRIVE HI-SPEED INITIATIVES
SCI FI Originals Earthsea and Battlestar Galactica Kicks off New Broadband Promotion Beginning in November
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. -- November 1, 2004 -- NBC Universal Cable announced today SCI FI Channel's exclusive broadband promotion to help cable operators attract and retain broadband customers. This new promotion launches November 15 with exclusive content created by the Channel's award winning Website, www.scifi.com and features upcoming Earthsea miniseries and Battlestar Galactica series.
"The SCI FI brand, in many ways, is synonymous with digital technology and is perfectly brand positioned to help re-energize our affiliates efforts to increase their broadband modem penetration. This campaign, coupled with the high-octane nature of the Channels' original programming and its exclusive to broadband content rich website, scifi.com assures a win for affiliate partners," said Mark Hotz, Senior Vice President, of Marketing, NBC Universal Cable.
SCI FI will create and produce promotional online materials to support operators who want to acquire potential broadband subscribers and deliver an enhanced viewing experience for their existing customers. Consumers can optimally view exclusive content through their local cable operator's broadband service, which cannot be seen anywhere else including, - scifi.com. Earthsea and Battlestar Galactica are among the first originals to be rolled out under this new launch.
As part of the launch, SCI FI will help increase qualified sales leads with retail kiosks that demonstrate local operators' broadband offering and provide co-branded cable modem spots and applications. "Gift With Purchase" giveaways and "Register to Win" incentives will also be included to attract potential subscribers. In addition, SCI FI will offer community outreach tools such as local market screenings for affiliates to give VIPs and customers a sneak peek of Earthsea (Dec. 1- Jan. 12) and Battlestar Galactica (Dec. 15 ? Jan. 13). Continuing SCI FI's commitment to education with Cable In the Classroom, affiliates will be provided with SCI FI interactive games and educational resources that help build media literacy skills in students while demonstrating the benefits of broadband.
About SCI FI Programming
Earthsea
The SCI FI original miniseries Earthsea is a two-night television event premiering December 13. This coming-of-age fantasy based on Ursula K. Le Guin's award-winning novels of the same name, stars Shawn Ashmore, Kristin Kreuk, Isabella Rossellini and Danny Glover. Earthsea broadband content includes exclusive trailers, screensavers and games that run continuously through the end of December.
Battlestar Galactica
The radical re-imagination of the classic 1978 television series, Battlestar Galactica returns to the Channel as a new weekly one-hour series premiering Friday, January 14 as part of the Channel's night of branded programming, SCI FI Friday. The show reunites Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer with the rest of the Galactica cast. Battlestar Galactica's broadband promotion runs through March 2005 with co-branded interactive screensavers and flash-based online games.
SCI FI will continue to roll out this customized promotion for each program priority on the Channel, including franchise success StargateSG1 and Stargate Atlantis among others.
SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Website (www.scifi.com) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 84 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.
About NBC Universal Cable
NBC Universal Cable, a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's preeminent media companies, drives the company's cable strategic development and growth including video-on-demand, pay-per-view, HDTV and retransmission consent, and oversees the cable distribution, marketing and local ad sales of twelve properties (Bravo, Bravo HD+, CNBC, CNBC World, MSNBC, mun2, SCI FI, ShopNBC, Telemundo, Trio, USA and the Olympics on cable). NBC Universal Cable also directs and manages the company's cable and new media investments including A&E, The History Channel, History Channel International, The Biography Channel, National Geographic International, the Sundance Channel and Tivo.
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