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Turner Broadcasting System unleashes content on Joost™
May 2, 2007
Joost Adds New Programming from Four Additional Major Content Owners
New York - May 1, 2007 - Joost™ (www.joost.com), the world's first broadcast-quality Internet television service, today announced that Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) will begin to distribute content on Joost from its well-known brands and properties, including Adult Swim and CNN. Programming from Hasbro, the National Hockey League (NHL), Sports Illustrated (SI) and Sony Pictures Television (SPT) also will be available on Joost later this month.
"Partners like Turner, Hasbro, NHL, Sony Pictures Television and SI Swimsuit represent the quality and wide range of programming that Joost offers viewers," said Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, executive vice president of content strategy and acquisition for Joost. "From compelling news magazines and cool animation to current and classic sports games, comedy and entertainment, the Joost platform is a destination for audiences looking for great programming, a flexible entertainment experience, and a community with which to share that experience. By marrying great content from all genres and compelling, interactive features, Joost is a truly unique way for consumers to watch videos online."
The five content owners announced today will bring programming to Joost that crosses a range of genres, from comedy, cartoons and animation, and entertainment and film, to news and documentaries, lifestyle and sports.
Turner Broadcasting System: Episodes of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Robot Chicken" from Turner's extremely popular Adult Swim network will be available on the Joost platform this week. Later this month, CNN will bring top-rated news programs and talk shows, including "Anderson Cooper 360˚," "Larry King Live" and documentaries from the award-winning CNN Productions to Joost. For Joost users who want to catch up-to-the-minute breaking news while they watch their favorite programming, the CNN RSS feed has been added to the Joost news ticker. And beginning Thursday, fans of Turner South programs like "Home Plate," "Off the Menu" and "Southern Home By Design" can tune in and watch these programs on Joost.
Sony Pictures Television: SPT will add classic programming from the '70s, '80s and '90s to Joost. The AXN Network will bring classic episodes of "Charlie's Angels," "Spiderman," "Starsky & Hutch" and "SWAT" to Joost. Programming from the "Funny Bone" brand, including episodes of "Action," "Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girl," "NewsRadio" and "Who's the Boss?" also begin airing on Joost Thursday.
SI: SI will distribute video shorts and interviews from this year's SI Swimsuit photo shoots with popular models such as Marisa Miller, Brooklyn Decker and Jessica White. Full-length Swimsuit programs and additional behind-the-scenes footage from other recent shoots will be on Joost later this month.
NHL: This month, the National Hockey League will begin broadcasting a rich selection of Vintage games from the NHL archives; full game replays and highlights from regular season and Stanley Cup Playoff games will follow.
Hasbro: Joost viewers will be able to watch two channels based on legendary Hasbro properties - TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE. The TRANSFORMERS channel will feature full-length episodes of the original "G1" TRANSFORMERS animated series, which launched the epic feud between the AUTOBOTS and the DECEPTICONS, later this month. The G.I. JOE channel will broadcast full-length episodes of "G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO," the iconic series that introduced kids to the "Joe team" and the evil COBRA COMMANDER in 1982. These programs will be available exclusively online through Joost in the U.S.
Dennis Quinn, executive vice president of business development for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. said, "With Joost, we have the unique opportunity to reach and engage new and existing fans of Turner programming through an innovative platform. Online distribution is extremely important to Turner, and with Joost we are confident that our programming is secure and distributed in the high-quality format that is true to our brands."
As of Thursday, viewers will be able to watch programming from the new content partners by building a preferred list of channels or by using the channel catalog to find programming by name, channel or genre. Channels and programs available on Joost vary by geographic region, based on copyright ownership. While the most programming currently is available to viewers in the U.S., Joost is enhancing its worldwide offering with the addition of international, regional and local partners on a continual basis.
Janus Friis, co-founder of Joost, said, "The ability to make Joost a viable business, versus just a cool technology or viewer experience lies in our ability to bring together advertisers, content owners and viewers. Our business model was developed with the interests of our viewers and partners at the core. It's exciting for us to enter this phase and truly begin executing on our vision."
Founded by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, Joost combines the best of TV and the best of the Internet by offering viewers a unique, TV-like experience enhanced with the choice, control and flexibility of Web 2.0. Joost is the first online, global TV distribution platform, bringing together advertisers, content owners and viewers in an interactive, community-driven environment. Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers broadcast-quality content to viewers for free.
About Joost™
Joost™ provides a new way of watching TV that combines the best of full-screen television entertainment with online interactive and community benefits to bring an unprecedented selection of video content to viewers anytime, anywhere. Joost is based on a state-of-the-art, secure, peer-to-peer streaming technology.
To learn more about Joost, visit www.joost.com.
Posted by Kate Larkin on May 2, 07 | Permalink
Joost™ launches commercially
May 2, 2007
Existing Beta Testers Now Have Open Invitations to Invite Friends to Joost
Campaigns from 32 Launch Partners Begin to Run on Joost in May
New York - May 1, 2007 - Joost™ (www.joost.com), the world's first broadcast-quality Internet television service, today announced that it has commercially launched. Campaigns from the 32 companies announced as advertising partners last week will begin airing on the platform this month. Additionally, as a part of this launch, all existing Joost beta testers now have an unlimited number of invitations that they can send to their friends, family and colleagues.
"Today marks the beginning of an exciting phase for Joost - we are officially open for business," said David Clark, executive vice president of global advertising for Joost. "We're enabling our viewers to share Joost with their friends and family, and we're working collaboratively with the world's leading advertisers and agencies to design a new ad model for the next generation of television."
Last week, Joost announced that it had signed more than 30 blue-chip brands, including The Coca-Cola Company, HP, Intel and Nike, as advertising launch partners. Beginning today, advertisements from some of the ad launch partners will begin to play on the platform. Advertisements from all ad launch partners will be on Joost later this month.
Previously available in an expanded beta, Joost now is available to an unlimited number of friends, family and colleagues of existing beta testers. Starting today, when beta testers visit the "Invite Friends" widget in the "My Joost" area of Joost, they will be able to invite anyone they know to the Joost community. Both new and existing users can download a new version of Joost today.
Founded by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, Joost combines the best of TV and the best of the Internet by offering viewers a unique, TV-like experience enhanced with the choice, control and flexibility of Web 2.0. Joost is the first online, global TV distribution platform, bringing together advertisers, content owners and viewers in an interactive, community-driven environment. Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers broadcast-quality content to viewers for free.
Previously known as The Venice Project, Joost features more than 150 channels with programming across all genres, including: cartoons and animation; entertainment and film; sports; comedy; lifestyle and documentaries; and sci-fi. Channels and programs available on Joost vary by geographic region, based on copyright ownership. While the most programming currently is available to viewers in the U.S., Joost is enhancing its worldwide offering with the addition of international, regional and local partners on a continual basis.
About Joost™
Joost™ provides a new way of watching TV that combines the best of full-screen television entertainment with online interactive and community benefits to bring an unprecedented selection of video content to viewers anytime, anywhere. Joost is based on a state-of-the-art, secure, peer-to-peer streaming technology.
To learn more about Joost, visit www.joost.com.
Posted by Kate Larkin on May 2, 07 | Permalink
Warner Bros. Television Group Joins Joost
May 7, 2007
Joost to Have Exclusive Access to WBTVG Programming Featured in WBTV Branded Channels
Top Sci-Fi Programs and TV Shows with Celebrities Before They Were Famous to be Added to Joost
New York - (Business Wire) - Joost™ (www.joost.com), the world's first broadcast-quality Internet television service, today announced that Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) will bring program offerings, including WBTV: SCI-FI FIX and WBTV: Before They Were Mega Stars, to Joost on an exclusive basis. This marks the first time that WBTVG will launch Warner Bros.-branded programming services online.
"As one of the premier television production studios, the fact that Warner Bros. has chosen to create its first online channels on the Joost platform shows that we are creating a unique, communal television experience for viewers where content owners can distribute professionally-produced programming with the quality and security they need," said Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, executive vice president, content strategy and acquisition. "The program offering that Warner Bros. will showcase on Joost demonstrates the depth and breadth of our content - from classic programs to current hits, from sitcoms and dramas to sci-fi and adventure, the Joost platform offers channels and programs that have broad appeal and are in high demand."
Both WBTV channels will launch on Joost this month. WBTV: SCI-FI FIX will feature popular shows like "Adventures of Briscoe County," "Aquaman," "Babylon 5," "Crusade," "Human Target," "Invasion," "Max Headroom," "My Favorite Martian," "Prey," "Time Trax" and "V."
The WBTV: Before They Were Mega Stars channel will include shows from the past that feature some of today's biggest stars of the big screen. Before they were famous, celebrities like Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Samuel L. Jackson, Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson made guest appearances on shows like "Growing Pains," "Kung Fu," "Sisters" and "Spenser: For Hire." Viewers will be able to find these guest appearances and more exclusively on Joost.
In addition, WBTV: Before They Were Mega Stars includes TV programs that launched some stars' careers. From John Travolta in "Welcome Back, Kotter" and Marlon and Shawn Wayans in "The Wayans Bros.," to Jamie Foxx, Martin Lawrence and Ben Stiller in their eponymous shows, WB: Before They Were Mega Stars will provide viewers with a glimpse at stars before they became celebrities.
"We believe the advertiser-supported model for classic, current and original programming is a significant and critical segment of the long-term future of digital distribution," said Bruce Rosenblum, president of Warner Bros. Television Group. "We are thrilled to be a part of Joost's initial program offerings and to have the opportunity to create Warner Bros.-branded digital program services, such as WBTV: SCI-FI FIX and WBTV: Before They Were Mega Stars. The community, flexibility and wide array of programming offered by Joost are sure to make it a must destination for any TV enthusiast."
Founded by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, Joost combines the best of TV and the best of the Internet by offering viewers a unique, TV-like experience enhanced with the choice, control and flexibility of Web 2.0. Joost is the first online, global TV distribution platform, bringing together advertisers, content owners and viewers in an interactive, community-driven environment.
About Joost™
Joost™ provides a new way of watching TV that combines the best of full-screen television entertainment with the interactive and community benefits of the Internet to bring broadcast-quality video to viewers anytime, anywhere. Based on a state-of-the-art, secure, peer-to-peer streaming technology, Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers video content to viewers for free. Joost features more than 150 channels with programming across all genres, including: cartoons and animation; entertainment and film; sports; comedy; lifestyle and documentaries; and sci-fi. Channels and programs available on Joost vary by geographic region, based on copyright ownership.
To learn more about Joost, visit www.joost.com.
About Warner Bros. Television Group
An innovative leader in developing new business models for the evolving television landscape, Warner Bros. Television Group oversees the entire portfolio of Warner Bros. Entertainment's television businesses, including worldwide production, traditional and digital distribution and broadcasting. WBTVG is a leader in producing primetime, first-run, cable and animation series and has also moved into the digital space via an advertiser-aligned digital production venture creating original short-form programming for broadband and wireless. WBTVG manages a library of 50,000 hours, distributed to all television exhibition platforms around the world in more than 40 languages. Warner Bros. is also a partner with CBS in The CW Television Network.
Posted by Kate Larkin on May 7, 07 | Permalink
Joost Closes $45 Million In Financing
May 10, 2007
Leading Venture Capital Firms and Content Owners Support Joost's Global Expansion
Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Li Ka Shing Foundation, CBS Corporation and Viacom Participate in Round
New York - May 10, 2007 - Joost™, the world's first broadcast-quality Internet television service, today announced that five selected parties have collectively invested approximately $45 million in the company. Each party invested in a minority percentage of the company. This funding will enable Joost (www.joost.com) to accelerate product development, global expansion, localization, and service offerings.
Founded in January 2006 by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, Joost is powered by a secure, efficient, Internet platform that enables premium interactive, advertising-supported, video experiences while providing copyright protection for content owners and creators. Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers content to viewers for free.
"This funding represents a tremendous vote of confidence in Joost's platform," said Janus Friis, co-founder of Joost. "We've carefully selected these investors from a variety of interested parties, as they are best-in-class in their respective arenas and bring unique assets to Joost that will enable us to significantly accelerate growth and development of the Company."
Index Ventures, a leading European venture capital firm, which invests in impactful technologies that have global reach, led the round with Sequoia Capital, the premier venture capital firm in the world. Sequoia Capital has been the first investor and business partner in companies that make up 10% of the NASDAQ's value. In combination, Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital bring unrivaled expertise and alliances in Europe, Asia and North America.
Danny Rimer, general partner of Index Ventures said, "We are excited to be working with Niklas and Janus once again as we see the same ground-breaking potential in Joost that we saw in Skype. By leveraging proven P2P architecture and assembling a world class management team, they have made a powerful idea simple and brought new services to market in record time. Our investment in Joost signals Index Ventures' continued commitment to investing in impactful technologies."
Roelof Botha, general partner, Sequoia Capital, added, "Feature length video on the Internet has been long on promise and short on delivery for some time. Full screen commercial content delivered online has simply not been compelling for the viewer and has been far too costly for the content owners. Joost allows content owners to reach audiences of any size at any time where the viewer can 'lean back' to enjoy an immersive yet interactive video experience. At the same time, Joost enables brand marketers to efficiently deliver precisely targeted and measurable advertisements. This ability poises the company to expand the video distribution business and capture an enormous market opportunity."
Li Ka-shing, chairman of Hutchison Whampoa Limited and Cheung Kong Holdings, invested in Joost through his charitable foundation, the Li Ka Shing Foundation. Mr. Li is a valued partner in Asia. Joost expects to work with Mr. Li and his respective affiliated companies, to expand its distribution in China and other parts of Asia.
Mr. Li Ka-shing stated, "We were excited about the opportunity to invest in Niklas and Janus. With the quality, content, speed and usability of Joost's platform, and the community-targeted service offerings, we expect Joost will revolutionize the Internet television market."
As previously announced, CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS, CBS.A) and Viacom are also content partners, providing channels and programming on Joost.
In addition to its investment, CBS has contributed more than 2000 hours of CBS entertainment, sports and news programming. Entertainment programming offered includes the full CSI franchise, SURVIVOR, NCIS, NUMB3RS and FAT ACTRESS, news content includes THE CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC, FACE THE NATION, clips form THE EARLY SHOW, 48 HOURS, and CBS SUNDAY MORNING and sports content includes COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHT SHOW, NFL TODAY HOT TOPIC, GAME OF THE WEEK, ONE2ONE and GO PRO OR GO HOME.
Also an investor in the round, Viacom is a "Key Launch Partner" providing channels and programming from across all of its properties including: Comedy Central, MTV, VH1 and Paramount Pictures. MTV will offer popular shows, both past and present, including Laguna Beach, Beavis & Butthead, Real World, Punk'd and My Super Sweet Sixteen, while COMEDY CENTRAL will feature episodes from Stella, CCP's and Freak Show. Also, Paramount Pictures will be providing full-length feature films from its catalog of classics and recent releases.
About Joost™
Joost™ provides a new way of watching TV that combines the best of full-screen television entertainment with the interactive and community benefits of the Internet to bring broadcast-quality video to viewers anytime, anywhere. Based on a state-of-the-art, secure, peer-to-peer streaming technology, Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers video content to viewers for free. Joost features more than 150 channels with programming across all genres, including: cartoons and animation; entertainment and film; sports; comedy; lifestyle and documentaries; and sci-fi. Channels and programs available on Joost vary by geographic region, based on copyright ownership. To learn more about Joost, visit www.joost.com.
About Index Ventures
Index Ventures has been active in technology venture investing since 1996. The firm is dedicated to helping great entrepreneurial teams in the information technology and life science sectors build their companies into market-defining global leaders. The firm has offices in Geneva, London and Jersey. Index Ventures is an active investor in the consumer internet sector and investments of note include Last.fm, the online social music revolution and Stardoll, the celebrity doll dress up site for the girls. Other landmark investments include Betfair, the world's largest betting exchange, Skype, recently sold to eBay, and Genmab, one of the largest antibody companies in the world. For more information, please visit www.indexventures.com
About Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital provides startup venture capital for very smart people who want to turn ideas into companies. As the "Entrepreneurs Behind the Entrepreneurs", Sequoia Capital's Partners have worked with innovators such as Steve Jobs of Apple Computer, Larry Ellison of Oracle, Bob Swanson of Linear Technology, Sandy Lerner and Len Bozack of Cisco Systems, Dan Warmenhoven of Network Appliance, Jerry Yang and David Filo of Yahoo!, Jen-Hsun Huang of nVIDIA, Michael Marks of Flextronics, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen of YouTube, Steve Goldman and Sujal Patel of Isilon Systems and Dominic Orr and Keerti Melkote of Aruba Wireless Networks. To learn more about Sequoia Capital visit www.sequoiacap.com.
About Li Ka Shing Foundation
Li Ka Shing Foundation is a charitable foundation established by Mr. Li Ka-shing in 1980 to nurture a culture of giving and to co-ordinate donations towards medical, education, cultural and other community welfare projects. Over the years, the Foundation and other private charitable foundations established by Mr. Li have supported numerous charitable activities with grants, sponsorships and commitments of over US$1 billion. The Foundation makes selective investment in quality projects both in Hong Kong and overseas from time to time to increase capital return for its charitable objectives.
About CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and The CW - a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), cable television (Showtime and CSTV Networks), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS Television Distribution), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS Interactive), music (CBS Records), licensing and merchandising (CBS Consumer Products), video/ DVD (CBS Home Entertainment) and motion pictures (CBS Feature Films). For more information, log on to www.cbscorporation.com.
About Viacom
Viacom is a leading global entertainment content company, with prominent and respected brands. Engaging its audiences through television, motion pictures and digital platforms, Viacom seeks to reach its audiences however they consume content. Viacom's leading brands include the multiplatform properties of MTV Networks, including MTV: Music Television, VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, Logo, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, and more than 130 networks around the world, as well as digital assets such as MTV.com, comedycentral.com, VSPOT, TurboNick, Neopets, Xfire and iFilm; BET Networks; Paramount Pictures; DreamWorks; and Famous Music. More information about Viacom and its businesses is available at www.viacom.com.
Posted by Kerry Vance on May 10, 07 | Permalink
Joost™ Announces Deal With Creative Artists Agency
May 23, 2007
New York - May 22, 2007 - Joost™, the world's first broadcast-quality Internet television service, has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world's leading talent and literary agency. CAA will assist Joost in its efforts to secure the most compelling and entertaining content for distribution on the online entertainment platform.
"Joost takes entertainment to the next level through its converged television-Internet platform, offering consumers the best content available via a superior interface," said Michael Yanover, head of business development at CAA. "CAA will provide Joost greater access to programming through our relationships with networks, studios, record labels, artists and independently-controlled content libraries. We are proud to play an important role in the development of Joost."
Founded by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, Joost combines the best of TV and the best of the Internet by offering viewers a full-screen sight, sound and motion experience enhanced with the choice, control and flexibility of Web 2.0. Currently in an expanded beta, Joost is the first online, global TV distribution platform that brings advertisers, content owners and viewers together in an interactive, community-driven environment.
Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, executive vice president, content strategy and acquisition for Joost, said, "Through our partnership with CAA, we are able to bring more high-quality, professionally-produced programming to audiences around the world through the Joost platform. By providing interesting, relevant programming on a platform with interactive, community-based features, Joost is becoming the online destination for entertainment."
About Joost™
Joost™ provides a new way of watching TV that combines the best of full-screen television entertainment with the interactive and community benefits of the Internet to bring broadcast-quality video to viewers anytime, anywhere. Based on a state-of-the-art, secure, peer-to-peer streaming technology, Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers video programming to viewers for free. Joost features more than 150 channels with programming across all genres, including: cartoons and animation; entertainment and film; sports; comedy; lifestyle and documentaries; and sci-fi. Channels and programs available on Joost vary by geographic region, based on copyright ownership.
To learn more about Joost, visit www.joost.com.
About CAA
Creative Artists Agency is a full service talent agency that represents the most creative and successful professionals working in film, television, music, theatre, video games, and sports, and provides a range of strategic marketing services to corporate clients. The agency serves as the access point through which artists, consumers, athletes, and global brands intersect to create, acquire and sell entertainment properties, and to enrich entertainment and brand experiences. CAA has an equity relationship with SS+K, a strategic communications consulting firm. In addition, The Intelligence Group, a market research and trend forecasting company, is a division of CAA.
Posted by Kerry Vance on May 23, 07 | Permalink


