FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFor information contact: Bret Werner/Jerry Milani Alan Taylor Communications (212) 714-1280
Fort Lauderdale, FL (July 29, 1997) -- SportsLine USA, Inc., CEO Michael Levy has been named the winner of the 1997 Interactive Entrepreneur Award by the Interactive Services Association's (ISA) selection panel. Levy, 50, received the award at the ISA's annual convention on July 28 in Washington, D.C. The 13th Annual ICEY Awards recognize excellence in the interactive industry and were originated by the ISA in 1985.
Established by ISA and Inter@ctive Week, the Interactive Entrepreneur Award is presented to the individual who has created and developed the most outstanding, innovative business venture in the interactive industry. Levy's brainchild, SportsLine USA, Inc., the publisher of CBS SportsLine, is a sports media and technology company founded in 1994. Since then, Levy has raised more than $40 million in equity financing and has created nearly 180 jobs nationally.
CBS SportsLine features more than 100,000 pages of multimedia sports information and entertainment covering all major collegiate and professional sports and even includes the Internet's first all-sports talk radio station. Levy's service also hosts the home pages of such notable sports celebrities as Michael Jordan, Arnold Palmer, Cal Ripken Jr., Shaquille O'Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Joe Namath.
This award is the second consecutive year that SportsLine has been honored with an ICEY. The service's exclusive "Baseball LIVE!" product, which provides real-time graphical representations of Major League games, won the 1996 Online and Internet Innovation Award.
"I am very honored to be recognized by an organization as respected as the ISA," said Levy. "I proudly accept this award on behalf of everyone at SportsLine who has made this venture such a success."
Last month, Levy was named the 1997 Florida Entrepreneur of the Year in the Emerging Companies category by Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Services LLP. Levy is now eligible to be named national Entrepreneur of the Year later this year.
The ISA is the preeminent North American trade association dedicated to the promotion of interactive services. It was formed in 1981 and represents all of the major interactive platforms, including online and Internet services, interactive television, screen telephone and interactive telephone services.
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, Arnold Palmer, Joe Montana, and Emerson Fittipaldi.