August 03, 2000 05:06am
Be Here Teams With Playboy.com and Players Network to Provide First Interactive Look
Source: Players Network Inc.
by: Company Press Release
(CUPERTINO, CA and LAS VEGAS, NV) -- Be Here, the leading provider of 360-degree Internet video technology, Playboy.com, the preeminent men's lifestyle and entertainment destination online, and Players Network Inc. (OTC: PNTV - news), which operates the gaming lifestyle portal, PlayersNetwork.com, have teamed to bring Playboy & Playmate enthusiasts the first 360-degree streaming video Webcast of this summer's exclusive Wet & Wild swimsuit fashion show, with unparalleled levels of personalization, context and involvement. Be Here-powered Internet programming makes good on the promise of interactive viewing by enabling Playboy.com users to get the ``be here'' experience at the Las Vegas fashion show -- just as if they were at the event itself.
Be Here iVideo®, the first-ever technology to deliver live streaming 360-degree video coverage over the Internet, gives consumers total control over their viewing experience, allowing them to move around the Webcast and control what they see of the runway as the Playmates show off the latest bikini fashions. Beginning today, fans can watch the streamed event, which took place July 7, 2000, by logging on to Playboy.com. The viewer can continue to log on to Playboy.com in order to control the scene and experience different views of the show each time the site is revisited.
FASHION SHOW FANS GET A FRONT SEAT ON THE RUNAWAY
``We are pleased to extend our commitment to delivering a variety of entertaining and interactive Webcasts to consumers by working with Playboy.com,'' said Dr. Ted Driscoll, Founder and CEO of Be Here. ``The popularity of the 'be here' experience grows as witnessed by our one million consumer downloads in the past six months, and as a result an increasing number of entertainment organizations such as Playboy.com have expressed interest in providing this new visual experience for their audience. We look forward to further providing entertainment organizations with the power to offer their audiences levels of personalization, context and involvement that other mediums cannot achieve.''
``BE HERE'' AT THE WET & WILD BIKINI FASHION SHOW
This personalized, behind-the-scenes coverage of the Wet & Wild bikini fashion show will provide consumers with an insider's view of the Playmates from three separate camera vantage points. The first camera will provide content that includes a view of the catwalk which will capture the Wet & Wild bikini fashion show. The second camera will capture the Techno Tiki Hut interviews hosted by Playmate of the Year Jodi Ann Paterson, and will also include a view of the stage managers, cue cards, cameramen and technicians. The third vantage point will bring viewers into the after-event party, giving a full 360-degree view of what takes place after the fashion show ends, and the post-show celebration begins.
PLAYBOY DELIVERS
``We are pleased to utilize Be Here's technology in order to provide Playboy.com's audience with an additional interactive viewing experience of our Wet & Wild bikini fashion show,'' said Spence Bovee, Vice President, Broadband & Convergence, Playboy.com. ``In addition to the traditional Webcasting of this event, the 360-degree video provides our fans with a unique and personalized experience. We strive to provide Playboy.com fans with the most entertaining and appealing events possible and this technology will allow us to provide additional compelling and entertaining content to them.''
The growing popularity of the Internet has led many new media Web sites, such as Playboy.com, to Webcast entertainment events with this unique point of view. Be Here's technology provides the basis for the next generation of Internet media -- extending the video viewer's visual experience by combining it with the power of interactivity. It also provides an increased stickiness to Web sites because visitors will spend significantly more time there due to the sites' engaging personalized content.
PLAYERS NETWORK PARTICIPATES
``Players Network becomes one of the first users of Be Here's leading-edge technology by recording this event,'' said Mark Bradley, President and CEO of Players Network Inc. ``Be Here's technology compares to the early days of black and white television, in that it is a first-time visual experience that will evolve over time into a total virtual experience. It's the next best thing to being there! We plan to utilize Be Here's technology throughout the gaming industry.''
ABOUT PLAYBOY.COM
Playboy.com is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: PLA - news), an international multimedia entertainment company. Playboy.com operates Playboy-branded Web sites targeting the entertainment and lifestyle interests of young men, including: Playboy.com (http://www .playboy.com), an advertising and e-commerce-supported Web site that offers a range of entertainment, information and e-commerce; Playboy Cyber Club (http://cyber. playboy.com), a subscription site featuring premium Playboy content and exclusive online events; the Playboy Store (http://www. playboystore.com), which sells Playboy-branded products; and Playboy Auctions (http://auctions. playboy.com), which auctions Playboy-branded merchandise and admission to Playboy events, and allows fans to auction their own Playboy memorabilia and collectibles. Playboy.com also operates Cyberspice.com (http://www. cyberspice.com), a site featuring premium adult entertainment under the Spice brand.
ABOUT PLAYERS NETWORK
Players Network Inc. owns and operates PlayersNetwork.com, a gaming and entertainment Internet Portal, which combines content, e-commerce and full-streaming video on the World Wide Web. Players Network also delivers the first and only 24-hour digital gaming and entertainment channels directly into hotel and casino guestrooms. The casino industry, with approximately 180 million visitors annually, is now the largest form of participant entertainment. For more information, visit the Players Network Inc. Web site at www.playersnetwork.com.
ABOUT BE HERE
Be Here Corporation is the leading provider of 360-degree Internet video technology used worldwide by entertainment, news and sports Webcasters. Be Here delivers live and recorded streaming 360-degree Internet video with levels of personalization, context and involvement that other mediums or technologies simply cannot achieve. Be Here-powered Internet programming makes good on the promise of interactive viewing by enabling viewers to ``look around'' at an event at will -- just as if they were at the event itself. Viewers' control personalized 360-degree camera angles independent of other viewers to gain an impactful, ``be here'' experience. Be Here's easy-to-use, open platform solutions have been employed by the National Football League to Webcast the Superbowl XXXIV, ESPN for the Summer and Winter X Games and by BMG for the Sundance Film Festival Music Studio. The company is headquartered in Cupertino, Calif. For more information about Be Here, visit its World Wide Web site at http://www.behere.com.
Forward-looking statements made herein are pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that actual results, performance or developments could differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements as a result of known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors described from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases or other communications.
For more information, please contact: Tamara Burnett, tamarab@mcgpr.com, or Kim Yurkovich, kimy@mcgpr.com, of McGrath/Power Public Relations, 408-727-0351, for BeHere.com and Playboy.com; or Mark Bradley, President of PlayersNetwork.com, 702-895-8884, mbradley@playersnetwork.com; or Fran Daniels of Financial Sciences of America, 310-278-4413, finsci@earthlink.net, for Players Network Inc.
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