MOUNTAIN VIEW and CARLSBAD, Calif., April 28, 2000 — WebTV Networks, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp., and BUZZTIME.com, Inc., the premier developer and distributor of interactive sports and trivia games and a wholly owned subsidiary of NTN Communications Inc., today announced that BUZZTIME.com has been selected as the featured provider of trivia content and the exclusive provider of a daily trivia question within the primary Games and Sports category offerings on the WebTV® service. BUZZTIME.com is scheduled to begin delivering its daily trivia content when WebTV updates its primary Games and Sports category offerings later this summer.
BUZZTIME.com trivia games will be accessible to users of both the WebTV Classic Internet service as well as the WebTV Plus interactive service, giving more than 1,000,000 subscribers to WebTV the opportunity to test their knowledge of sports and general entertainment trivia daily. In addition, WebTV Networks and BUZZTIME.com intend to allow users of WebTV to compete in real time against non-WebTV game players who use personal computers or other interactive platforms to connect to BUZZTIME.com and participate in BUZZTIME.com’s unique
“play-along”
sports participation game network and live broadcast technology.
During the term of their agreement, WebTV Networks will provide BUZZTIME.com with a permanent branded presence for its daily trivia questions on the entry screens of the WebTV Networks’ primary Games and Sports category offerings. Users of WebTV who click to find the correct answer to the promotional question or who click on the BUZZTIME.com promotional button will be linked directly to the BUZZTIME.com Web site. As part of the relationship, BUZZTIME.com will provide a custom-designed game site that is optimized for the WebTV platform and the TV screen. WebTV Networks will also promote BUZZTIME.com via advertising throughout the WebTV service. In addition, the companies will team up to offer and promote monthly trivia game and live event contests to users of WebTV with associated prizes to be furnished by BUZZTIME.com.
This new relationship follows on the heels of BUZZTIME.com’s production of the online multiplayer
“enhanced TV”
version of Fox Family Channel’s live game show
“Paranoia,”
which debuted earlier this month.
“Paranoia”
allows Fox Family Channel viewers to log on to http://www.paranoia.excite.com/ and play an interactive version of
“Paranoia”
while watching the program on television.
“We are excited to be working with BUZZTIME.com to deliver its trivia content to users of WebTV and to build out dynamic live event game offerings for our users,”
said Joe Poletto, vice president of Network Media at WebTV Networks.
“BUZZTIME.com and NTN have been in the business of enhancing TV viewing with engaging trivia and participation game offerings for more than a decade. BUZZTIME.com is a natural strategic fit with WebTV, which has sought from its inception to enhance all aspects of a user’s TV-viewing experience.”
“The user of WebTV is our ideal player,”
said Tyrone Lam, president of BUZZTIME.com.
“BUZZTIME.com is all about providing compelling trivia and live event game experiences that allow a network of game players to compete against one another. BUZZTIME.com also seeks to provide television viewers with truly compelling gaming experiences that let them participate more directly with the program or sporting event they are watching. With WebTV, BUZZTIME.com advances both elements of its mission in one platform.”
About NTN
Based in Carlsbad, NTN Communications (AMEX
“NTN”
) is the parent corporation of two operating divisions: BUZZTIME.com TM and NTN Network® . BUZZTIME.com develops and distributes sports and trivia games to a variety of interactive platforms, including BUZZTIME.com, NTN Network, America Online, AT & T Interactive Television, Midway coin-operated games machines, QB1.com and the NTN Network. The NTN Network, NTN’s hospitality business, operates its DITV interactive television network, which broadcasts BUZZTIME.com games to millions of consumers each month at restaurants, sports bars and taverns.
About WebTV Networks
WebTV Networks 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. These services include the WebTV Classic Internet service, the WebTV Plus interactive service and the WebTV Personal TV service. 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, 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, services and Internet technologies 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.
Microsoft, WebTV Network and WebTV are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the 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.
