Release
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Amazon.com Adds SHOWTIME® Programming To Its Amazon Unbox Lineup</div>
New hit show “Dexter” pilot to be available for $.01 Download on Amazon Unbox for a limited time.
SEATTLE, October 18, 2006 -- Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) today announced that the Amazon Unbox digital video service now offers premium programming from SHOWTIME including, for the first time, digital downloads of the groundbreaking hit series “The L Word.” The service will also include popular and critically acclaimed SHOWTIME programs such as “Weeds,” “Sleeper Cell,” “Dave Chapelle’s ‘For What it’s Worth,’” “Fat Actress,” “Penn & Teller: BS!” and “Free for All.” All SHOWTIME programming will cost $1.99 per episode.
To promote the addition of SHOWTIME programming to Unbox, customers will be treated to a $.01 download, available only on Unbox, of the pilot of one of this season’s biggest and most talked about new hit shows, “Dexter,” starring Michael C. Hall, from October 18-25. The show airs new episodes Sunday nights at 10:00 on SHOWTIME.
“Amazon is excited to offer Unbox customers some of SHOWTIME’s most popular and compelling television programming,” said Bill Carr vice president of digital media at Amazon.com. “Now Unbox customers have a great new way to discover great SHOWTIME series on Amazon.com and download individual episodes for just $1.99.”
”SHOWTIME is always looking for creative new ways to bring our great original series to a larger audience,” said Robert Hayes, senior vice president and general manager, Showtime Networks Digital Media. “Amazon’s Unbox is a perfect platform for this as viewers who want to experience SHOWTIME’s programs can visit Amazon.com and download episodes of shows like “Weeds,” “Sleeper Cell” and “The L Word,” to their PC. We’re excited to be an early provider of premium programming for Amazon’s Unbox” Hayes concluded.
Among the SHOWTIME original series programming that will be available on Unbox are:
WEEDS, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME comedy starring Golden Globe® award-winning actress Mary Louise Parker, is one of the most talked about series on television. WEEDS®, a production of Lionsgate Television, offers an unflinching, brutally honest and socially relevant take on drugs, family, suburbia and adolescence.
THE L WORD® is one of the most popular SHOWTIME series, generating a large and loyal audience as well as critical praise for its provocative, sexy storylines, its principal cast, and for being a magnet for celebrated directors and guest stars. Since its debut in January 2004, THE L WORD® has become one of the rare television series to transcend the medium and become part of American popular culture, spawning dedicated fan websites and blogs, along with ancillary products such as THE L WORD®-branded perfume, jewelry and books.
SLEEPER CELL, nominated for five Emmy® awards, takes viewers behind the veil of a terrorist group and tracks the harrowing challenges faced by a FBI agent determined to learn its secrets. It folds current events and pertinent political developments into its storylines as it explores the personal and professional side of committed agents combating the greatest and most concealed threat in our nation’s history.
PENN & TELLER: BS!, the award-winning series featuring master showmen Penn & Teller, delivers viewers an aggressive, humorous exposé of taboo topics using the duo’s trademark humor, knowledge of carnival tricks and con-artistry, as well as hidden cameras and blatant confrontation.
Unbox offers customers several unique features including RemoteLoad technology which allows customers to shop for Unbox videos from any Internet-connected PC -- like their PC at the office -- and download their videos to another PC -- like their PC at home. Plus, customers get the added flexibility of taking their video collection on the go using any Windows Media video-compatible portable device, including the popular Creative Zen Vision:M.
In addition to the SHOWTIME titles, Amazon Unbox offers current hits from top networks like CBS with “CSI” and “Numb3rs” as well as a broad selection of popular shows from cable networks such as Cartoon Network and Discovery Channel and several channels from MTV Networks, including Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV and VH1.
Unbox customers can purchase television series episodes for $1.99 per episode, purchase most movies for between $7.99 and $14.99, or rent the latest movies for $3.99. To learn more about Amazon Unbox and to download your first television show free of charge, visit www.amazon.com/unbox.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., (Nasdaq: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as health and personal care, jewelry and watches, gourmet food, sports and outdoors, apparel and accessories, books, music, DVDs, electronics and office, toys and baby, and home and garden.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.joyo.com.
As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME® TOO™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and TMC XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND™ and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™. SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME® PPV.
Forward Looking Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, significant amount of indebtedness, inventory, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, payments, fraud, consumer trends, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, and all subsequent filings.
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Amazon.com Media Relations
Sean Sundwall
206.266.4322
Showtime Networks
Stuart Zakim
212-708-1590
