Paramount Digital Entertainment and Microsoft Debut STAR TREK: CONTINUUM on MSN

LOS ANGELES/REDMOND, Wash., July 10, 1996 — Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE), a unit of Viacom Inc., and Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of STAR TREK: CONTINUUM, the official interactive site dedicated to all
“Star Trek”
incarnations, to be hosted exclusively on MSN
™, The Microsoft® Network, Microsoft’s Internet online service. STAR TREK: CONTINUUM features comprehensive archives and activities surrounding all
“Star Trek”
properties and is designed to be the place where people can explore strange new worlds and engage new life forms online. STAR TREK: CONTINUUM is the most extensive online source of information about
“Star Trek.”
It is available to MSN members at http://startrek.MSN.com/ and is based on the open standards of the Internet.
“STAR TREK: CONTINUUM is a prime example of our goal to extend our entertainment properties to the digital medium and deliver them in an engaging way,”
said David Wertheimer, president of PDE.
“Microsoft has provided us with the platform to showcase one of our most valuable franchises.”
“We’re very excited to be working closely with Paramount in delivering the official ‘Star Trek’ interactive site and creating new experiences exclusively for our MSN members,”
said Jeff Sanderson, director of marketing for The Microsoft Network division at Microsoft.
“We hope to attract and engage the franchise’s many loyal fans by offering content under the ‘Star Trek’ brand that is interactive and compelling.”

STAR TREK: CONTINUUM is designed to take users into a new dimension online where they can find out everything they want to know about
“Star Trek.”
STAR TREK: CONTINUUM includes episodic, character and behind-the-scenes information on the seven Paramount motion pictures and the four Paramount TV series:
“Star Trek,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”
and
“Star Trek: Voyager.”
Other services include interactive multimedia content that immerses subscribers in the
“Star Trek”
experience; the Klingon Compendium, a comprehensive source of information on the Klingon Empire; forums for
“Star Trek”
fans to gather and interact; detailed historical information on
“Star Trek”
episodes, characters, actors, aliens, technology and other exciting material; and advance information on television shows and motion pictures. In addition, fans can participate in 3-D chats in which they can choose to become a
“Star Trek”
avatar in Quark’s Bar, an environment created from
“Deep Space Nine.”
Here they may also chat with other costumed
“Trek”
visitors.
Also incorporated in the engaging environment of STAR TREK: CONTINUUM are full-screen graphical menus, audio clips, video clips, animation and multiple chat rooms. The site was designed and developed by PDE with the assistance of The Digital Foundry Inc. of Tiburon, Calif.

“Star Trek”
is one of the entertainment industry’s most enduring and broad-based properties. The original 79
“Star Trek”
episodes aired on television between 1966 and 1969, making this September the 30-year anniversary of
“Star Trek.”
Since then, other
“Star Trek”
series have appeared on television, including
“Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”
and
“Star Trek: Voyager.”
In addition, seven hit
“Star Trek”
motion pictures have been released, all of which went on to become enormously successful in the home video market. The eighth
“Star Trek”
motion picture is in development. A powerhouse in the publishing, toy, collectible gift and consumer electronic areas,
“Star Trek”
merchandise has totaled nearly
$2 billion in retail sales since its television debut. Currently, there are more than 250 official licensees worldwide.

In June, PDE and Microsoft launched ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT ONLINE (http://et.MSN.com/) , the official Web site companion to America’s most popular entertainment news series. The dynamic online show incorporates the energy and excitement of the daily broadcasts with the unique interactive opportunities of the Internet.

Formed in May 1995, Paramount Digital Entertainment draws upon Paramount’s rich history in motion pictures and television programming by channeling Paramount’s creative resources into the promotion of Paramount properties, the creation of original online products, and the development of a new breed of promotional vehicles for its advertising partners. With direct access to the Paramount Television Group, PDE is able to carry the studio’s 83-year tradition of entertainment excellence into cyberspace. PDE is headquartered in Hollywood.

MSN offers a variety of services that include access to hundreds of special-interest bulletin boards; offerings from more than 200 content providers; multimedia reference information; full Internet access including e-mail accounts, thousands of newsgroups and the World Wide Web (Web access where available); and up-to-date news and information from the service’s news package, MSN News.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft and MSN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The Microsoft Network is operated by Microsoft Corp. on behalf of Microsoft Network LLC.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/. on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Additional information on Paramount can be found at (http://www.paramount.com/) .

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