WebTV Networks Offers Gift Cards for Prepaid WebTV Service

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 10, 1999 — WebTV Networks, Inc. today announced that it is offering prepaid service cards for purchase as gifts this holiday season. The innovative WebTV® service Gift Cards are an easy way for gift givers to prepay for the Microsoft® WebTV Network TM service for friends and family who are either receiving a WebTV unit or already have one. Prepaid dollar amounts for Internet and interactive TV services are stored on a smart card, which can be inserted into any WebTV receiver.

“WebTV is committed to providing innovative and exciting services for our customers, and delivering on our vision of making the television more useful, engaging and fun,”
said Bruce Leak, president of WebTV Networks.
“The new WebTV service Gift Cards offer an easy and affordable way to share the fun and entertainment of enhanced TV as a gift this holiday season.”

No-Hassle Holiday Shopping

WebTV service Gift Cards are available in a variety of denominations, including $75, $100, $150 and $300, and can be purchased with the click of a remote at the new WebTV online store at http://www.webtv.net/ or by calling (800) GO-WEBTV (469-3288). Cards can be used for WebTV Classic service, WebTV Plus service or the WebTV Plus service for satellite, so gift givers can check off their holiday shopping list easily and quickly. WebTV service Gift Cards are wrapped in a unique gift pack and shipped with a personal note and easy-to-follow instructions for use. Gift Cards can be shipped either directly to a gift recipient or to the sender. As simple and easy-to-use as a phone calling card, the WebTV service Gift Card is simply inserted into a slot on the front of the WebTV receiver, and the user’s WebTV account is instantly credited for the amount indicated on the card.

The Gift of Enhanced TV Offers Fun and Entertainment Year-Round

WebTV products and services are an affordable and fun way to enhance television, providing easy, fast Internet access; communication via e-mail and chat; interactive games; up-to-the minute information on news, money, sports, entertainment, shopping and more ; access to over 350 hours of interactive programming (including popular programs such as
“JEOPARDY® ,” “Wheel of Fortune® ,” “The Today Show,” “Judge Judy,” “Dateline”
and many others); instant purchasing; e-commerce, and more — all via a standard television set.

About WebTV Networks

WebTV Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of enhanced TV services using Internet and digital technologies. WebTV Networks offers a range of enhanced TV services for set-top boxes, satellite products and other TV-related devices. Today, these services include the WebTV Classic service, the WebTV Plus service and the WebTV Plus service for satellite. WebTV Networks owns and operates a network of TV services and provides enabling software and hardware reference designs to consumer electronics manufacturers.

WebTV Networks, based in Mountain View, Calif., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. Microsoft incorporates WebTV technologies in the Microsoft TV software platform, which it licenses to television network operators worldwide.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software – any time, any place and on any device.

The subscription fee for the WebTV service is a flat monthly fee, depending on the type of service. The service is available as a local call in most areas. Contact your local telephone company to determine if toll charges may apply.

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

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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.

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