Turner Broadcasting's GameTap Spurs Evolution of Broadband Entertainment With New Look, Channels and Shows

Turner Broadcasting's GameTap Spurs Evolution of Broadband Entertainment With New Look, Channels and Shows

From 'Fall Out Boy' to 'Space Ghost Coast to Coast' and more than a record 400 games, GameTap's one-of-a-kind broadband network builds brand awareness through big names and numbers

ATLANTA, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Don't touch that dial, er, game controller! GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), today unveiled the all new "GameTap TV," which features a dynamic mix of new channels and shows for the rapidly growing broadband community with more than 250 videos on demand. GameTap also surpasses a key milestone today by offering more than 400 video games, making it by far the largest collection of on-demand games on the internet. In addition to its new look and content, GameTap subscriptions are now available at a new price of $9.95 per month.

"Broadband entertainment is a brave new world, and as industry leaders, we're taking it in brave new directions," said Stuart Snyder, GameTap's General Manager. "By boasting the largest library of on-demand games coupled with original shows all at the right price, GameTap is at the forefront of broadband entertainment and culture."

At the center of the new "GameTap TV," GameTap now offers an array of channels each with their own unique focus, all still appealing to fans of the video games lifestyle. In addition, the shows are easily accessible and fun to watch thanks to the "big screen" TV-style viewing controls which also allow subscribers to bookmark programs, games and more, so they can click back to their favorites at any time.

"GameTap is about playing games and a whole lot more," said Ricardo Sanchez, vice president of content. "We have compelling and funny TV shows that you really can't find anywhere else. Every week, we launch new games on our service and serve up original shows to entertain you on gameplay breaks -- we don't just push recycled TV content and cutting room floor material at our audience."

Among the new channels that GameTap's subscribers will experience for the first time are:

* OnTap channel: This guide delivers the latest programs on the GameTap service. Whether you want the new episode of "Space Ghost Coast To Coast," with Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak in the hot seat or the "Tapped In" story of the SEGA Dreamcast, the best shows on "GameTap TV" are always "OnTap."

* GameTap Originals channel: Exclusive shows you won't find anywhere else! All of the GameTap original programs are housed in their entirety on this channel, such as the reality show "Challenged" (friends settle grudges with game-offs), "GameTap Survival Guide" (experts teach novices all they need to know to master specific games), "The Class of ... ?" (a pop-culture clip and quiz show), and "Hyper 5" (a top five countdown show spotlighting the wild, weird and wacked elements of games), to name a few.

* Music channel: The world of games collides with the music scene in original programming and music videos. This channel brings top musical artists to the network, including "GamePads," a show about celebrities and how games have impacted their lives, and this month's debut of "GameTap 10," a celebrity-driven top 10 favorite video games countdown show, featuring segments with Fall Out Boy, Joe Nichols and Dem Franchize Boyz, with many others in the wings. Also featured are dozens of music videos spanning the rock, hip-hop and country genres.

* Animation channel: Debuting later this spring, the channel will kick- off with an original series of animated shorts about a campus computer lab and its unusual characters in a usual situation. It is being developed by Soup2Nuts, the creators of "Home Movies," which airs on Cartoon Network. Other original animated features are also in the works.

* Games channel: With an industry record-setting library of more than 400 games, this channel lets subscribers preview games in the network prior to selecting what they want to play. Among the marquee titles joining this month are "Crazy Taxi," one of SEGA's most revered offerings and "King of Monsters 1 and 2" from SNK. Capcom also delivers its first batch of games, leading off with the legendary "Ghouls 'N Ghosts" and "Ghosts 'N Goblins," as well as classic fighter "Dark Stalkers." "Populous" from EA, "Oregon Trail" from River Deep and "Baldur's Gate" from Vivendi Universal round out GameTap's new March titles. Stay tuned for what's new in April: Capcom Week, SNK Week, "King's Quest" Week and "Street Fighter" Week.

With its ever-expanding menu of shows and games, GameTap has established a solid leadership position in on-demand broadband entertainment. The estimated 184 million consumers using broadband in 2005 will nearly double to 360 million in the next five years. With a robust catalogue of on-demand offerings and new competitive price point, GameTap will remain a frontrunner in the broadband movement.

Go to www.gametap.com to preview the shows or sign up for the all you can play and watch broadband network for $9.95 per month.

About GameTap

GameTap delivers hundreds of the greatest games-on-demand plus original programming via a broadband-connected PC. To access GameTap, players securely download and install Turner-developed client software from www.gametap.com that acts as a gateway to the GameTap vault. Because games reside securely on the PC, not across a network, they act just as if they were still on the console or at the arcade. Fast response times, 3D effects, colors, and characters are all present and accounted for. New games and original programming will be added to the service each week. GameTap supports navigation and game play using keyboard and mouse, as well as most USB peripherals.

About Turner

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment products around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

Source: GameTap

CONTACT: Chase, +1-415-844-6289, or chase@accesspr.com, or Beth Gardiner,
+1-917-522-3522, or bgardiner@accesspr.com, both of Access Communications for
GameTap; or Misty Skedgell of TBS, Inc., +1-404-885-4396, or
misty.skedgell@turner.com

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

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