Nokia Theatre Times Square to Bring the Best in Music and Entertainment to Manhattan's Most Famous District

Nokia Theatre Times Square to Bring the Best in Music and Entertainment to Manhattan's Most Famous District

AEG LIVE - Nokia Collaboration to Create New Mid-Size Entertainment Venue to Host Major Music and Entertainment Events

NEW YORK, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A bright new light will be shining on midtown Manhattan as Nokia Theatre Times Square makes its debut on Broadway this summer. Located in the heart of Times Square at the corner of Broadway and 44th Street in the Viacom/MTV building and designed by the award-winning architecture firm, Rockwell Group, the 2,100 capacity theater will attract the hottest names in entertainment, yet still provide an intimate experience for patrons. The collaboration between Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and AEG is a further expansion of the existing relationship which encompasses Nokia Theatre Los Angeles, a recently announced 7,000 seat theater in an AEG-developed sports & entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles, Club Nokia, a 2,500 capacity concert venue, also in the district and Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie, a 6,000 seat theater currently operated by AEG, one of the world's leading sports and entertainment presenters.

The Nokia Theatre venues are part of the 'Nokia Unwired' marketing platform, which brings live music to fans in the Nokia Theatre venues, through concert tours and on music-oriented TV programming.

AEG LIVE, the live entertainment division of Los Angeles based AEG, who will oversee the creation and management of the venue, anticipates producing more than 150 concerts, awards shows, live broadcasts and special events each year following the venue's summer 2005 launch.

"Nokia Theatre Times Square will allow us to reach out to music fans among the lights and excitement found only in the crossroads of the world -- Times Square," said Jo Harlow, vice president of marketing for Nokia. "In much the same way that music, gaming and video is becoming increasingly common on wireless devices, the Nokia Theatre concept is allowing us to further the goal of bringing the worlds of entertainment and mobility closer together."

The new home of Nokia Theatre Times Square is currently undergoing a $15 million renovation in the former Loews Movie Theater building. When completed, the venue will contain a 2,100 capacity music hall, a wide range of gourmet food and beverage choices created by Europa Cafe, and an event merchandise sales area operated by AEG Merchandise. The Nokia Lounge will provide a relaxing atmosphere where guests will have the opportunity to charge their wireless phones, get hands-on experience with new Nokia products and services, download mobile content like games, videos and ring tones and enter promotions among other activities.

"Paraphrasing the immortal words of the late Frank Sinatra: 'If you can make it in New York, New York, you can make it anywhere.' This state-of-the- art venue, a marriage of technology and live performance, is the culmination of a very productive collaboration between two great companies, Nokia and AEG LIVE, to bring the music fan the finest live entertainment experience possible in the most consumer-friendly environment in Manhattan," said Randy Phillips, President & Chief Executive Officer, AEG LIVE.

"We believe that the Nokia Theatre Times Square will become one of the nations most prestigious showcases for live entertainment and will complement the 2007 opening of Club Nokia Los Angeles," said Jay Marciano, Chief Strategy Officer, AEG LIVE.

Rockwell Group has designed an innovative, multi-use theater that can be transformed to accommodate a wide array of events including conferences, trade shows and banquets while maintaining the bold, brash energy of the space. With undulating walls, a ceiling of quilted blankets shrouded in metal mesh, and six custom-designed Swarovski crystal chandeliers, the auditorium is the centerpiece of the project. In addition, Studio Red, a division of Rockwell Group, has created a three dimensional connection between great entertainment and the Nokia Mobile experience with the aforementioned Nokia Lounge, Vision Wall and equalizer. The auditorium will also feature two VIP mezzanines with banquette seating, and private bar service, flanking the stage.

"We really focused on creating a space that would capture the energy of Times Square while inviting the audience to have a truly intimate and uniquely comfortable acoustic experience," commented David Rockwell, Founder and CEO of Rockwell Group.

On behalf of their "new neighbors," Tim Thompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance commented, "Nokia Theatre Times Square will be a huge asset to Times Square, cementing the district's role as the center of live entertainment in New York City. In addition, the theater's association with Nokia ensures that the best cutting edge technology will be a central part of one of the best venues for talent from around the world, at the Crossroads of the World."

About Nokia

Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations. http://www.nokia.com/ .

About AEG LIVE

AEG LIVE, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is a collection of companies dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring for a variety of programming and multi-media production. AEG LIVE, the nation's second largest concert promotion and touring company, with five regional offices, is comprised of stand-alone affiliate divisions including: AEG LIVE Events, creators and producers of special events of all sizes; AEG-TV, devoted to creation and marketing of live events for television, DVD, pay-per-view, cinema and other electronic media and AEG Radio, developers and packagers of national and regional radio programming. AEG LIVE Tours & Special Events and AEG LIVE Exhibitions, the company's national promotion divisions are currently producing tours and productions including Celine Dion A New Day ... Presented By Chrysler now appearing at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and the recently announced "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," an international tour of the artifacts of King Tut. Recently promoted concert tours have included artists such as Prince, Usher, Kenny Chesney, Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera and Dixie Chicks. Goldenvoice, the company's southern California-based regional promotion division created and operates the award winning annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. AEG LIVE is a partner with Queen Latifah and Usher in separate joint ventures, which include merchandise, touring, CD and long-form DVD releases. The company operates NOKIA Theatre at Grand Prairie (Texas) and will be opening a 2,100 seat theater in Times Square in 2005.

Media only please contact:

Nokia Americas AEG / AEG LIVE
Media Relations Michael Roth
972-894-4573 213-742-7155
communication.corp@nokia.commroth@aeg-la.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040130/NOKIALOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nokia Corporation

CONTACT: Media Relations of Nokia Americas, +1-972-894-4573, or
communication.corp@nokia.com ; or Michael Roth of AEG, AEG Live,
+1-213-742-7155, or mroth@aeg-la.com

Web site: http://www.nokia.com/


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