The Hotel Networks Expands Platform With Launch of FreeViews, a Video On Demand Advertising Offering

The Hotel Networks Expands Platform With Launch of FreeViews, a Video On Demand Advertising Offering

FreeViews Provides Opportunity for Advertisers to Own Branded Long-Form Content Reaching One Million Upscale Hotel Rooms and 20 Million Guests Each Month

NEW YORK, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hotel Networks (THN), a subsidiary of LodgeNet Interactive Corporation (NASDAQ:LNET), today announced the expansion of its platform with the launch of FreeViews, a Video On Demand (VOD) ad-supported content offering that reaches over 20 million hotel guests each month. The launch of FreeViews comes on the heels of Nielsen's recent announcement that its On Location Media service will report on THN's ad-supported VOD content that is now available in over one million hotel rooms.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080115/AQTU120LOGO)

Prominently featured on the main menu of the LodgeNet Interactive System, FreeViews provides a tremendous opportunity for advertisers to reach a highly engaged and involved audience. A recent Nielsen report cites that THN hotel visitors watch an average of 4 hours of TV per day. Furthermore, LodgeNet's recent consumer needs assessment study cites that 98 percent of travelers watch TV in their rooms. FreeViews enables advertisers to reach highly targeted upscale guests with customized long-form video content without the constraints of a 30-second TV spot.

"Advertisers have increasingly been impressed with the efficiency of reaching upscale consumers and business executives in the distraction-free and DVR-free environment of our network. Now we extend beyond the commercial power of our 10 cable channel SuperBlock and can offer an interactive experience combining entertaining content as well as promotional brand messaging," said Derek White, President, The Hotel Networks. "FreeViews gives advertisers the opportunity to really engage with this coveted audience by providing meaningful content and, if desired, extensive product information through a simple and familiar interactive menu system utilized by over a third of hotel guests. Savvy brand managers will find that the applications are endless."

With FreeViews, brands have the opportunity to feature their own long-form video content or have THN source content that brands would like to associate with (e.g. golf tips, music concerts, cutting edge web shows, etc.), allowing the advertiser to appear as the exclusive sponsor. When viewers scroll to the FreeViews navigation bar, they will see a roll-over graphic that features the brand and associated content. Once in the sponsored VOD section, brands can utilize menu systems to showcase entertaining content, brand/product videos, and promotional marketing.

To further drive traffic to its VOD content, THN delivers interactive 30-second spots throughout the system, displaying a message designed to bring guests to an advertiser's branded content. Furthermore, with Nielsen's On Location Media service, advertisers receive thorough and timely viewership reports from data captured by LodgeNet's proprietary system.

"Recognizing the emergence of the interactive hotel TV platform as a powerful medium for targeting business and affluent consumers, Nielsen is proud to be at the forefront of quantifying and measuring the value of advertising on the out-of-home video network across hotels, " said Paul Lindstrom, Senior Vice President, Nielsen On Location Media. "THN is leading the way on some innovative and highly engaging sponsored media programs, and we look forward to supporting them through newly developed audience measurement tools that capture verifiable viewing time and consumer level of interactivity."

The FreeViews platform expands upon THN's flagship SuperBlock package, comprised of ten premium cable channels that reach upscale and luxury hotel rooms across the U.S. THN sells all national and local advertising availabilities on each network, which include: A&E, The Biography Channel, CNBC, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Hallmark Channel, History, Versus, The Weather Channel and National Geographic Channel.

THN is continuing to expand its TV and VOD advertising offerings, including exclusive channel sponsorships with interactive "telescoping" or click through capabilities to drive engaged guests to an advertiser's long-form content. THN's platform is unmatched in its ability to efficiently target and deliver three distinct and highly coveted audiences: the travel, business and affluent markets.

About The Hotel Networks

The Hotel Networks (THN), a subsidiary of LodgeNet Interactive Corporation (NASDAQ:LNET), is the leading marketing solutions provider in the hotel space. THN delivers a premium package of national cable networks and advertiser-supported video-on-demand programming to upscale and business class hotels nationwide. THN's innovative advertising platform efficiently targets the coveted travel, business and affluent markets and combines the best attributes of cable television, out-of-home, interactive and promotional marketing. For more information, please visit http://www.thehotelnetworks.com/.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080115/AQTU120LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: The Hotel Networks

CONTACT: Alison Holmes of The Hotel Networks, +1-212-317-0868,
aholmes@thehotelnetworks.com; or Ray Yeung, yeung@braincomm.com, or Scott
Cianciulli, cianciulli@braincomm.com, both of Brainerd Communicators,
+1-212-986-6667, for The Hotel Networks

Web site: http://www.thehotelnetworks.com/
http://www.lodgenet.com/

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