Microsoft WebTV Networks and E! Networks to Offer Interactive Programming on “Celebrity Profile”

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 23, 2001 — Today at NATPE 2001, Microsoft WebTV Networks, Inc., and E! Networks announced that E!’s
“Celebrity Profile” will be interactive beginning Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2001. E! Networks’ enhanced broadcast of this series will offer subscribers to Microsoft® WebTV® Plus and UltimateTV® services the chance to access detailed program information not available elsewhere, as well as provide an interactive outlet for viewer feedback. The enhancements also will be available to subscribers to enhanced services based on the Microsoft TV platform through advanced cable set-top boxes that will be offered later this year.

“Celebrity Profile”
presents an hour-long in-depth look inside the private lives of celebrities, through exclusive interviews with friends, colleagues and the celebrities themselves. As part of the show’s interactive programming, viewers can click on images and links on the side of the screen to access celebrity bios, filmographies and relevant news stories, as well as anecdotes, quotes and trivia about the featured celebrity. Fans of the program will also be able to enter their own celebrity sightings and have them posted on E! Online at http://www.eonline.com/Celebs/Sightings/ .

The enhanced
“Celebrity Profile”
can be seen on E! Entertainment Television on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The first episodes will focus on Drew Barrymore, Katey Sagal and Jerry Seinfeld.

“We’re thrilled that E! continues to expand its interactive programming,”
said Joe Poletto, vice president of the Network Media Group at WebTV Networks, Inc.
“The network’s enthusiasm is an endorsement of the value of allowing viewers to become more active participants in the viewing experience.”

“Our relationship with WebTV Networks has enabled us to add interactive applications to popular shows like ‘Celebrity Profile,’ which give E! viewers a richer experience,”
said Lynn Heide, senior vice president for business development at E! Online.
“This interactive component has worked well with E! programs such as ‘Coming Attractions’ and ‘Fashion Emergency,’ and we’re looking forward to the same results with ‘Celebrity Profile.'”

About E! Networks

Based in Los Angeles, E! Entertainment Television Networks is the world’s largest producer and distributor of entertainment news and lifestyle-related programming. The company operates E! Entertainment Television, the 24-hour network with programming dedicated to the world of entertainment; style., a 24-hour network devoted to style, beauty, fashion, home design and the people and events that shape these worlds; and E! Online, Entertainment’s Home Page™
, located at http://www.eonline.com/ . E! is currently available to 67 million cable and direct broadcast satellite subscribers in the United States. style., launched on Oct. 1, 1998, currently counts 8 million subscribers. E! Online has also launched the Moviefinder.com and, most recently, shop.eonline.com sites. Internationally, E! programming can be seen in more than 120 countries, reaching 400 million homes. The company also operates full 24-hour E!-branded channels outside the United States: E! Entertainment Television in Latin America, Brazil, Israel, Scandinavia and the Philippines; E! in Poland and E! Entertainment in Russia and Romania; and E!stilo in Spain.

About E! Online

E! Online ( http://www.eonline.com/ ), Entertainment’s Home Page, delivers original entertainment news featuring celebrity gossip, movie, TV and music information to entertainment enthusiasts through an interactive format maximizing the brand awareness and reach of E! Entertainment Television. Based in Los Angeles, E! Online, the No. 1 entertainment news and celebrity gossip Web site, reaches over 3 million monthly unique U.S. adult users. America Online members have instant and direct access to E! Online’s original content at AOL’s Entertainment Channel and Celebrities Area, as well as at Moviefone, ICQ, Netscape and AOLTV sm . E! Online also operates shop.eonline.com,

your one-stop shop for entertainment merchandise sm .”
E! Online is a wholly owned subsidiary of E! Networks, which is currently available to 67 million cable and direct broadcast satellite subscribers in the United States.

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 Internet service, the WebTV Plus interactive service and WebTV Personal TV service. WebTV Networks owns and operates a network of television 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, 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 and UltimateTV 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

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