Largest Collection of College Athletes to Compete at First-Ever CSTV Collegiate Nationals

Largest Collection of College Athletes to Compete at First-Ever CSTV Collegiate Nationals

Xbox 360 Signs On As Founding Sponsor

April 2006 Reno-Tahoe Event to Name 'Greatest College Athlete'

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- CSTV Networks and Xbox 360 today announced plans for the creation of the Collegiate Nationals, a first-ever college championship showcase featuring more than 2,000 of the nation's top young athletes competing in a four-day series of high-endurance sporting events. The competition, to be held April 20-23 in Reno, Nevada, will bring together athletes from 40 different colleges and universities across the country participating in such non-traditional events as wakeboarding, snowboarding, kayaking, triathlon, boxing and beach volleyball. Xbox 360, Microsoft's next-generation gaming system, has signed on as the founding sponsor for this inaugural championship series, which will culminate in the crowning of the "Greatest College Athlete."

Comprehensive coverage of the event will be available across multiple CSTV and to-be-determined CBS platforms including cable network College Sports Television, via broadband on www.CSTV.com and a specially created round-the- clock microsite, over satellite television and radio, and more. In addition to its live television coverage, the Collegiate Nationals will serve as the focal point for pre-event programming features on the various sports and individual athletes.

"The Collegiate Nationals will provide a completely new arena for sports that are exciting to watch, but simply don't get as much media exposure as they could," said Brian Bedol, CEO of CSTV Networks. "CSTV is keenly aware of the passion and pride that belong to some of today's most inventive and physically demanding sports."

The Collegiate Nationals will be comprised of several elements including:

* One of the largest gatherings of college sports championships in one
place;
* A comprehensive multi-sport event designed to identify the "Greatest
College Athlete" in both male and female categories;
* A music festival to provide entertainment in the evenings for athletes
and spectators. The "Collegiate Nationals MF" will offer additional
sponsorship; opportunities while highlighting musicians across a wide
variety of genres.
* An alumni celebrity challenge to add an aspect of "Hollywood" to the
festivities and broaden the scope of the event for sponsors and contest
winners.

"CSTV has a special partnership with Xbox, and we're delighted to be working so closely with them on this original, new franchise that showcases both their popular products and our multi-platform programming," said Bedol. "Xbox is a company as deeply committed to college sports as they are to innovation."

"We continue to be impressed by the opportunities that CSTV presents and feel the Collegiate Nationals are a great platform for Xbox and our 360 launch," says Bill Nielsen, Director, Xbox U.S. Subsidiary. "We target non-traditional media packages that allow the Xbox brand to be integrated into programming and enhance the customer experience. We knew the Collegiate Nationals was a great idea, but what we really have been impressed with is CSTV's flexibility in allowing us to build this franchise together. We need to be authentic in our media and marketing, and this is a great package and opportunity to do just that."

Bedol noted that Reno-Tahoe is the ideal location for the Collegiate Nationals; "Where else could we bring together, in one weekend, athletes participating in sun and snow, indoor and outdoor, on land and water?" he asked. Deanna Ashby, Reno-Tahoe's Executive Director of Marketing, said, "With facilities and environments as diverse as the sports, we're thrilled to host the first Collegiate Nationals in Reno-Tahoe, 'America's Adventure Place.'"

"We have another outstanding partner with Burton Snowboards," said Bedol, "leaders by every measure in snowboarding, from equipment sales to marketing and event production." According to Bryan Johnston, VP, Global Marketing, Burton Snowboards, "We've always supported collegiate riders and their passion for snowboarding. There are a lot of amazing snowboarders in college who haven't had a forum to showcase their skills. CSTV is just the right kind of cutting-edge media company that we like to work with in creating new events. They know college sports; we know snowboarding. It's a perfect match.

"Microsoft revolutionized the gaming industry with the November 2001 launch of Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/), its first-generation video games and entertainment system, now sold in 26 countries around the world. This holiday season, Microsoft debuts its next-generation system, Xbox 360, in Europe, Japan and North America, to be followed by availability in Australia, Colombia, Hong Kong, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan in 2006. Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system ever created, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox Live online gaming service, and unique digital entertainment experiences.

Reno-Tahoe, America's Adventure Place, offers unlimited outdoor recreation, 24-hour Nevada-style gaming, top-name entertainment and the nation's largest special events plus a booming arts and culture district in the heart of downtown Reno. A complete guide to the region's must-see attractions is available at www.VisitRenoTahoe.com, an online travel planning resource.

Burton Snowboards is a pure snowboard company solely dedicated to creating and perfecting a full range of the best snowboarding equipment and apparel. Founded in 1977, Burton has fueled the growth of snowboarding worldwide through its team of top snowboarders and successful programs such as Learn To Ride (LTR), the Chill Foundation and the Open Snowboarding Championships. Privately held and headquartered in Burlington, Vermont with international offices in Innsbruck, Austria and Tokyo, Japan, Burton has been the industry market share leader since its inception. For more information, go to www.burton.com.

CSTV Networks Inc. is the leading digital sports media company, connecting more fans to more college sports than any other company. Its many platforms for programming distribution include CSTV: College Sports TV, televising regular-season and championship events for 35 men's and women's college sports; CSTV.com and its network of nearly 250 official athletic sites; CSTV All Access, broadband subscription packages providing live audio and video of more than 7,000 events annually; as well as satellite television and radio, in-flight entertainment, wireless networks and more. In November, CBS announced plans to acquire the company in January 2006. Further information is available at www.CSTV.com.

Source: CSTV

CONTACT: CSTV - Jayne Wallace, +1-212-342-8743, jwallace@cstv.com; CBS -
Jeremy Murphy, +1-212-975-4577, Jeremy.murphy@@cbs.com; Xbox - Kerstin
McInnis, +1-425-703-3142, kerstinm@microsoft.com; Reno-Tahoe - Ronele
Klingensmith, +1-775-323-6333 o, +1-775-378-0031 m, ronele@rkpr.com; Deanna
Ashby, +1-775-827-7750, dashby@rscva.com

Web site: http://www.cstv.com/
http://www.burton.com/
http://www.visitrenotahoe.com/
http://www.xbox.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/185007.html

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