Chello Scores a Touchdown with NFL/chello Kicks Off First Live Webcasts of American Football
24.09.1999, 13:09
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (PROTEXT) - Chello broadband n.v.(chello), www.chello.com, Europe's first and leading broadbandInternet service provider and an operating company of United Pan-Europe Communications N.V. (UPC) (Nasdaq: UPCOY; AEX: UPC), todayannounced it will be the first broadband Internet serviceprovider to webcast live American Football games from theNational Football League (NFL). The NFL games will initially be tested with chello'ssubscribers in the Netherlands at www.chello.nl. The NFL webcastswill utilise chello's recently announced revolutionarytechnology, ClearBand, which captures, encodes and broadcastsfull screen, TV quality images from any video source (i.e.videotape, VCR, digital video camera) in real time. chello'susers will be able to view one live NFL game per week, plus otherarchived-games on demand. Alongside the live webcast, chello and NFL will provide aninteractive information section where fans may look up factsabout American football, including rules, player profiles andteam stats, at any time. The chello portal will make NFL games available on a live andnear video on demand (NVOD) basis allowing subscribers to viewgames whenever they choose. Games will be offered at no charge inthe early part of the autumn NFL season, during which time chelloand the NFL will conduct extensive research to evaluate users'reactions to the experience of viewing full-length NFL games ontheir PCs. In addition, chello will deliver NFL specific non-gamecontent, including highlight programmes from Emmy Award-winningNFL Films. These will include: NFL Review, a weekly 30-minuteprogramme which recaps every game and previews upcoming games; ABeginner's Guide to American Football, with a 30-minuteintroduction of the rules and responsibilities of each player;NFL Bloopers; Super Bowl Moments, a series of one minute capsulesthat revisit the most memorable and historic Super Bowl action;and Play Football Vignettes, a series of 30 second videosexplaining the basics of the game. Mike Bracken, vice president production and development ofchello, says, "The combination of chello and NFL validateschello's broadband content and media presence as the world'sleading convergence service. Never before has such an importantglobal sports brand committed to distributing its content in sucha targeted, innovative fashion. We are delighted to offer thevery best NFL content to our growing numbers of users acrossEurope. This move shows that chello is a leading broadbandInternet company capable of extending the reach of leading brandsin a way that does not conflict with existing broadcastagreements." Tola Murphy-Baran, senior vice-president market development ofNFL Enterprises, comments, "The NFL has always been on theforefront of new technology and innovative ways to reach fans. Weare looking forward to working with chello, a true innovator andleader in the field, to test this ground-breaking effort. The NFLplayed a key role in making the U.S. satellite TV industry aviable and competitive entertainment medium with the 1994introduction of NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM), the out-of-marketsubscription TV package. "In the same way, we hope to accelerate broadband enabledInternet services. The power of NFL programming will help drivethe deployment of broadband and further increase our non-U.S.fans' interest and access to NFL football internationally." Roger Lynch, president and cfo of chello, says, "We areconstantly improving and updating chello content and technologyand this partnership with the NFL further underpins chello'scommitment in delivering the best broadband Internet experiencein Europe." Mark Schneider, chairman of chello and chairman and ceo ofUPC, comments, "UPC is delighted with this partnership betweenNFL and chello. This new way of Internet entertainment offeredvia satellite makes it clear that UPC and all its subsidiariesare really working hard on the realisation of being the mostinnovative communications company in Europe, offering fullyintegrated services via broadband." chello's subscribers will also be able to find informationabout NFL via hyperlinks between chello's portals and NFL's USand European websites -- www.nfl.com and www.nfleurope.com. About chello broadband n.v. chello broadband is Europe's first and leading broadbandInternet service provider and is commercially active in fivecountries. It has the largest reach in Europe and is committed todelivering next-generation, 24-hour accessible Internet servicesand broadband content to consumers via high-speed cable modems,with no phone bills -- ever! It provides a turnkey service tocable operators and other broadband networks based in Europe. The company is an operating company of United Pan-EuropeCommunications (UPC), with headquarters in Amsterdam and officesin Amsterdam, London, Paris, Vienna, Hamburg, Brussels and Oslo.By providing unparalleled communications services, chellobroadband delivers m@ximum Internet through cable with minimalcost. chello(TM) is a registered trademark of chello broadband n.v. About UPC N.V. Headquartered in Amsterdam, UPC is the most innovativebroadband communications company in Europe and owns and operatesone of the largest pan-European groups of broadband communicationnetworks. UPC provides cable television, telephony, high-speedInternet access and programming services in 12 countries acrossEurope and in Israel. As of July 31, 1999, UPC's systems passedapproximately 8.7 million homes with 5.8 million basic cablesubscribers. In addition, UPC had 133,900 residential telephonylines and 13,600 business telephony lines, as well as 56,300residential Internet subscribers and 2,600 business Internetsubscribers. UPC completed an IPO in February 1999 and its sharesare traded on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange ("UPC") and NASDAQ("UPCOY"). UPC is a consolidated subsidiary of Denver basedUnitedGlobalCom, Inc. ("United"), (Nasdaq: UCOMA). Microsoft hasan interest of approximately 7.8% in UPC. About NFL Enterprises and the NFL NFL Enterprises is a division of the NFL responsible forenhancing fan enjoyment of the game through innovativeprogramming and distribution. It serves as the new media andtechnology arm of the NFL with three business divisions: NFLSUNDAY TICKET, NFL Interactive and NFL Films. In addition, NFLEnterprises runs NFL International. The NFL has always been at the forefront of sports andentertainment. It was the pioneer in sports marketing andlicensing with the creation of NFL Properties in 1963, decadesbefore other sports leagues began co-ordinated marketing efforts.The NFL is also the sports leader in new media and technology. In1994, the NFL launched NFL SUNDAY TICKET, the first sportssubscription-based programming package available via satelliteTV. In addition, the NFL was the first American sports league onthe Internet in spring of 1995 with NFL.com, one of the mostheavily visited websites. The NFL is the most popular sports league in the U.S.Unsurpassed TV ratings, fan surveys and in-stadium attendancerecords all indicate the NFL's unparalleled success in the sportsworld. The NFL's 31 teams each play a 16-game schedule fromSeptember to January, in addition to playoffs which culminatewith the world-famous Super Bowl. More than 130 million Americansand 800 million worldwide annually watch the Super Bowl, makingit the highest-rated TV program. The NFL is also very popularinternationally with more than 180 countries worldwide havingaccess to games. Cities around the world have hosted NFL teams inAmerican Bowls since 1976. The NFL also runs NFL Europe League, asix-team all European league, including the Amsterdam Admiralswho are enjoying an emerging fan base. ots Original TextService: chello broadband n.v. Internet:http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Ross Sampson, vpcommunications of chello broadband, +31-20-778-8288, orross@chello.com; or Julia Crawford, Senior Account Executive ofEdelman PR Worldwide, +44-171-344-1342, or jcrawford@edeluk.com,for chello broadband; or Henrietta Hirst, Director of GroupCorporate Communications of UPC N.V., +44-171-518-7980, orhhirst@upclondon.com; or NFL media, Brian McCarthy, SeniorManager of Corporate Communications of National Football League,212-450-2069, or mccarthyb@nfl.com Web site:http://www.chello.com
http://www.nflsundayticket.com
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