FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFor information contact: Bret Werner/Jerry Milani Alan Taylor Communications (212) 714-1280
New York, NY (July 1, 1997) -- America Online, the world's leading Internet online service, and CBS SportsLine, one of the most heavily trafficked sites on the Web, today announced an online partnership which will make CBS SportsLine the first anchor tenant on the AOL Sports Channel.
Under the anchor tenancy agreement, AOL's more than 8 million members will have instant access - through CBS SportsLine's continuous presence on the main screen of the AOL Sports Channel - to CBS SportsLine's comprehensive coverage of the sports world, including continually updated scores, statistics, analysis and live coverage of major events. CBS SportsLine will also integrate, exclusively to AOL, aspects of CBS Sports on-air coverage of such major events as the Winter Olympic Games and the NCAA basketball tournament, and will sponsor chat and other community activities in the AOL Grandstand area. AOL members will also have access through CBS SportsLine to the personal Website of basketball superstar Michael Jordan.
CBS SportsLine's state-of-the-art features and programming will also be integrated within the AOL Sports Channel's Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and NCAA football and basketball screens and all other aggregated sports areas.
The agreement includes a payment to AOL, as well as mentions of AOL in conjunction with on-air and other promotion of CBS SportsLine, integrated on-air/online programming and promotion of AOL and an AOL icon on the CBS SportsLine Website.
In addition, AOL will receive a portion of CBS SportsLine merchandising revenues from AOL members.
Bob Pittman, President and CEO of AOL Networks, stated, "By making CBS SportsLine the first anchor tenant on AOL's Sports Channel, we will further expand the unmatched range of online sports program-ming available to our members. The AOL Channel front screens offer the most valuable promotional real estate in cyberspace; CBS SportsLine recognizes that this placement gives them an unmatched opportunity to capture tremendous market share in one place."
Pittman continued, "This agreement provides the perfect launch of our anchor tenant strategy: to attract the best Web content and services available in various areas of interest, integrate it with our content and provide our members with easy access, while harnessing our promotional expertise and market share to drive traffic to partners and enhancing their revenue."
Michael Levy, President and CEO of SportsLine USA, publisher of CBS SportsLine, said, "We are pleased to make our more than 100,000 pages of interactive and continuously updated sports content more easily available to AOL's members. Our arrangement with AOL allows us to demonstrate to millions of new users why CBS SportsLine is the most comprehensive and entertaining sports site on the Web."
Sean McManus, President of CBS Sports, added, "This agreement with AOL continues to make CBS SportsLine one of the premiere sites on the Internet. Introducing AOL's large membership base to CBS SportsLine's creative and comprehensive sports coverage ensures our leadership position."
Links from the main AOL Sports Channel screen, as well as from programming integrated throughout AOL's major sports screens, will deliver users to special "welcome mats" within the existing CBS SportsLine Website that are customized to enhance the experience for AOL members. AOL members will also gain access to programming featuring basketball legend Michael Jordan and will be able to link seamlessly from AOL to Jordan's Website on CBS SportsLine. Jordan will provide exclusive content to CBS SportsLine, including participating in chat sessions and responding to email from his fans worldwide.
AOL Networks oversees the AOL consumer online network, the world's most popular Internet online service with more than 8 million members worldwide. Founded in 1985, AOL offers its subscribers a wide variety of services including electronic mail, conferencing, software, computing support, interactive magazines and newspapers, as well as easy access to services of the Internet.
SportsLine USA, Inc., the publisher of CBS SportsLine, is a Fort Lauderdale, Florida based sports media and technology company founded in 1994. The SportsLine service was renamed CBS SportsLine as the result of a comprehensive five-year promotional agreement with CBS Sports in March 1997. The service features more than 100,000 pages of multimedia sports information and entertainment covering all major collegiate and professional sports. SportsLine's superstar advisors include Michael Jordan, Arnold Palmer, Joe Namath, Shaquille O'Neal, Wayne Gretzky, Jerry Rice, Cal Ripken, Joe Montana, and Emerson Fittipaldi.