CBS Outernet Teams With Ripple to Create Leading Out-of-Home Advertising Network

CBS Outernet Teams With Ripple to Create Leading Out-of-Home Advertising Network

Partnership Brings Together CBS's National Advertiser Reach with Ripple's Local Advertising and Content Targeting Capabilities

NEW YORK and EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CBS Outernet, a leading provider of in-store media networks and advertising in grocery stores nationwide, and Ripple, an interactive network of screens located in community gathering places that informs, entertains, and connects people to their world, announced today a partnership that creates one of the most formidable out-of-home advertising networks in the country. The agreement combines CBS Outernet's national out-of-home advertising sales channel with Ripple's hyper-local targeting capabilities in more than 1,500 locations across the nation in high-traffic specialty retail locations such as Borders, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Jack In The Box and Tully's. Together, the combined CBS Outernet and Ripple network reaches more than 100 million viewers every month.

CBS Outernet is already a leading provider of in-store media networks to grocery retailers. The network is currently installed in over 1,400 stores nationwide, reaching approximately 78 million shoppers each month. The company's retail banners include Supervalu's Albertsons, Acme, Shaw's, and Jewel, along with leading regional grocers SaveMart, Pathmark, Price Chopper, Big Y and Ukrop's.

"Partnering with Ripple gives our national advertising partners the capacity to reach highly desirable audiences on a very local level," said Virginia Cargill, CEO of CBS Outernet. "As media continues to evolve and consumers are increasingly on-the-go, our national partners have sought new ways to engage audiences on a local level with relevant messages. Our agreement with Ripple gives our partners this ability and provides a perfect complement to our existing network."

Through this strategic partnership, CBS Outernet will be able to offer national advertisers the opportunity to target consumers via Ripple's rapidly growing network of screens that feature community-specific and demographically-tailored lifestyle content from CBS, The New York Times, E! Entertainment and Yahoo!, and others. In addition to providing advertisers with a platform that reaches millions of engaged viewers, the agreement gives advertisers the ability to reach grocery and retail markets simultaneously with cohesive and compelling messages on a more frequent basis.

"This agreement represents a powerful marriage between CBS's national reach and Ripple's ability to target consumers at the community level," said Alex Nocifera, Co-founder and president of Sales & Distribution for Ripple. "With this partnership, we're presenting an incredibly compelling opportunity for local, regional and national advertisers to effectively target consumers who are in a position to take immediate action. At the same time, we're enriching the overall out-of-home experience for consumers by providing relevant content that's tailored just for them."

The digital out-of-home industry has grown rapidly over the last year, as many advertisers and local businesses look for an effective local channel to deliver their messages to an increasingly difficult to reach consumer audience. In October 2007, CBS Corporation purchased SignStorey Digital Media, renaming it CBS Outernet, to help complete its array of media offerings to keep pace with the changing landscape of consumer lifestyles. The partnership between CBS and Ripple represents a significant milestone for the industry as it combines a critical mass of national out-of-home viewers across several national retail categories with an advertising platform that is affordable, scalable and effective.

About CBS

CBS Corporation (NYSE:CBS.A)(NYSE:and)(NYSE: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 Outernet), publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS Interactive), music (CBS Records), licensing and merchandising (CBS Consumer Products) and video/DVD (CBS Home Entertainment). For more information on CBS, please visit http://www.cbscorporation.com/.

About Ripple

Launched in 2004 and headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Ripple is an interactive network of screens located in community gathering places, featuring content that informs, entertains, and connects people to their world. Our national network democratizes access to a mass media platform, giving people the power to show up and connect in their communities with products like ShoutOuts and AdCenter. With thousands of screens in hundreds of locations across the country, Ripple's rapidly expanding network currently reaches millions of unique consumers every month. The company's current distribution partners include Borders, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Tully's Coffee, Jack in the Box, Jiffy Lube, CBS, Arden Realty, Kilroy Realty and G&L Realty. Ripple's media partners include Reuters, E! Entertainment, The New York Times, Yahoo!, CBS and Clear Channel. For more information on Ripple, please visit http://rippletv.com/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: Kabi.Jorgensen@cbs.com

Source: CBS Corporation

CONTACT: CBS Outernet: Jeff Weidauer, +1-208-863-5401,
jweidauer@cbsouternet.com; Ripple: Emily Scherberth, +1-310-496-4450,
emilys@allisonpr.com

Web site:

http://www.cbscorporation.com/
http://rippletv.com/

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