Toyota, Lexus and ESPN Join Forces on ESPN's Monday Night Football Multimedia Programming

Toyota, Lexus and ESPN Join Forces on ESPN's Monday Night Football Multimedia Programming

TORRANCE, Calif., May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota, Lexus and ESPN today announced a fully integrated multiplatform promotion for ESPN's Monday Night Football and its surround programming and content for the 2006-07 season. The new association will transform the traditional three-hour primetime football game telecast into a 24-hour multimedia event.

Highlights of the agreement with Toyota and Lexus include a shared halftime show with Lexus sponsoring nine of the 17 scheduled Monday Night Football halftime shows and Toyota owning the remaining eight. During the halftime program, Toyota and Lexus will be featured in the opening and closing graphics, as well as during the game itself and other surround programming -- including information in ESPN The Magazine, on ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPN's SportsCenter, the television networks's signature highlights, news and information show.

While Toyota and Lexus co-own the sponsorship, each brand will offer unique promotions via ESPN.com called "The Lexus Perfect Play" and "ESPN's Football Nation presented by Toyota."

"The Lexus Perfect Play" offers fans the opportunity to vote on their favorite play from Sunday's round of football games. A team of ESPN experts will determine three "perfect plays" from Sunday's games and fans will be invited to vote on their favorite via "The Lexus Perfect Play" micro site on ESPN.com.

During the Lexus Monday Night Football halftime shows the winning play will be revealed. On weeks that Toyota is the halftime sponsor the winning play will be featured on ESPN.com. Each fan who casts a vote has an opportunity to win "The Perfect Fan Experience," a weekly three day/two night trip to New York City and the ESPN studios in Bristol, CT during the season.

"The unique multimedia approach Lexus and Toyota have created with ESPN enables us to meet consumers where they want to be met, not just through telecast media," said Deborah Meyer, Lexus vice president of marketing. "By making use of all of the touch points ESPN has to offer -- radio, print, internet as well as television -- we are able to deliver content to customers whether they are driving in their car, on their computer, reading or watching TV."

ESPN's Football Nation will be the branding around all Monday Night Football activities presented by Toyota and the name of the Toyota micro site on ESPN.com. The special section online will be the one location fans can visit all season long to bring their fanaticism to life. Content will include photo uploads, fan blogs and polls.

During every Toyota-sponsored Monday Night Football halftime show, ESPN will air a 15-second segment highlighting the fan activities from the competing cities as well as a message to log onto ESPN.com to participate in Football Nation.

"Through this partnership Toyota and Lexus will help ESPN deliver the first totally integrated, interactive sports-media experience to fans of the NFL," says Jim Farley, Toyota vice president of marketing. "As the distinction between television and other emerging media begins to blur, ESPN is introducing innovative ways to make sure its audience can find its content anywhere: not just on TV and in print, but on the Web and even their cell phones."

Ed Erhardt, president, ESPN ABC Sports Customer Marketing and Sales added: "With fans now consuming sports across all media, ESPN's Monday Night Football 'Surround' is a true multiplatform concept that will provide Toyota and Lexus with the perfect opportunity to reach their consumers across all ESPN outlets."

ESPN's Monday Night Football will bring fans closer to television's signature sports series through an immersive experience across ESPN's multimedia platform. ESPN's coverage will extend well beyond the three-hour game telecast with hours of programming originating from the MNF host city, including the postgame SportsCenter on Monday night, Pardon the Interruption, NFL PrimeTime and Monday Night Countdown, all leading into the new Monday Night Football kickoff time at 8:30 p.m. ET. ESPN's first season of MNF kicks off on Sept. 11 with a special primetime doubleheader -- Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders.

About Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of more than 1,400 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motorsports, and research and development.

About ESPN ABC Sports Sales

ESPN ABC Sports Customer Marketing and Sales, the sports sales and marketing arm of The Walt Disney Company, is the world's leading integrated sports marketing, media entity. The company represents an unparalleled collection of multimedia sports assets and leads the industry in developing specialized programs designed to drive clients' marketing goals and initiatives.

Contacts:

ESPN
Alison Lazar
(212) 456-0226
alison.lazar@espn.com

Toyota Marketing Communications
Bill Ussery
(310) 468-0478
bill_ussery@toyota.com

Lexus Communications
Julie Alfonso
(310) 468-4625
julie_alfonso@toyota.com

Source: Toyota; Lexus; ESPN

CONTACT: Alison Lazar of ESPN, +1-212-456-0226, alison.lazar@espn.com;
or Bill Ussery of Toyota Marketing Communications, +1-310-468-0478,
bill_ussery@toyota.com; or Julie Alfonso of Lexus Communications,
+1-310-468-4625, julie_alfonso@toyota.com

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

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