PHILADELPHIA, PA, July 26, 2005 – At this year’s CTAM Summit, Rainbow Media further demonstrates its industry leadership and commitment to creating groundbreaking original programming targeting unique audiences and designed for emerging platforms. At this show, Rainbow Media will showcase an impressive portfolio of innovative content developed specifically for VOD and HDTV.
Summit attendees are invited to experience hands-on demonstrations of Rainbow’s flagship VOD products: MagRack, sportskool, IFC On Demand, IFC Films on Demand and We on Demand on the exhibit floor. Rainbow will also host a special HDTV seating area, where guests can preview upcoming HD programming. In the coming weeks, Rainbow plans to make a major announcement regarding HD content tiers.
Day Three Events:
On Tuesday, July 26, at 7:30 am (Rm 201), Rainbow Media will sponsor an informational breakfast session, The Business of On Demand, inviting conference attendees to mingle with movers and shakers and hear from a panel of pioneers that are leading the charge to make On Demand a big and profitable business. The session, presented by Reed Business and moderated by Multichannel News Broadband Week Editor, Matt Stump, features panelists: Tom Ascheim, EVP, GM, Nick Digital TV; Bob Benya, SVP, Time Warner Cable; Ron Lamprecht, VP New Media, NBC Universal; Jamie McCabe, SVP, Worldwide PPV, Twentieth Century Fox Film Company; and Warren Schlicting, VP New Business Strategy, Comcast Spotlight.
Joshua Sapan, President & CEO of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, is the distinguished recipient of this year’s CTAM Chairman’s Award, being presented today by CTAM Chairman Len Fogge during a special ceremony, Tuesday, July 26 at 4:15 pm – 5:30 pm at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
The coveted award is being presented to Sapan in recognition of his unparalleled leadership of the CTAM Educational Foundation and its centerpiece Executive Management Program at the Harvard Business School, CTAM U. As one of the original founders in 1996, Sapan played a key role in the successful development of the program. During his five years as Foundation Chair, he ensured the program’s financial stability and its continued commitment to uniting industry leaders from across the country to strengthen strategic marketing knowledge in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Day Three News:
For its ninth consecutive year, AMC will return with its popular Halloween destination, Monsterfest, October 23 – 31, and will include premiere original programming, popular horror movies, and national and local affiliate customized promotions designed to help cable operators drive their high-speed services. In 2004, Monsterfest increased AMC’s total day household rating by 29% compared to 2003, with the programming stunt receiving its best ever A18-49 prime (M-Su 8p-12m) delivery (628,000). The annual Halloween festival also generated the strongest A18-49 and A25-54 total day deliveries (356,000 & 346,000, respectively) and A25-54 prime delivery (562,000), over the previous four years.
Monsterfest 2005 will offer over 200 hours of non-stop horror movies and new original programming, including DVD_TV: Friday the 13th which will kick off the festival on October 23 at 10 PM ET/PT. AMC’s original series, Movies That Shook the World will premiere a new episode chronicling The Exorcist, on October 28 at 10 pm ET/PT, which explains how the films supernatural topic stretched the R rating to the breaking point and reaped record profits by exposing Catholic demonology. AMC’s weekly Date Night movie strand (every Monday at 8 PM) will feature Scream 2, the popular sequel that foils horror film situations stereotypical of the genre. Horror fans will also be treated to the AMC network premieres of: Arachnophobia, Tremors, Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Friday the 13th Part IV and Village of the Damned.
Fuse today announced that it is introducing an alternative marketing program to highlight its programming, and support MSO’s high speed and digital sales through a multi-tiered grassroots campaign. Fuse will recruit brand ambassadors from its loyal fan base to share their passion for Fuse and spotlight their local music scene. Using a co-branded MSO/Fuse webpage, the ambassadors will post pictures of concerts from local venues and maintain a blog, providing insight on the local music scene. To drive tune-ins and additional brand awareness, brand ambassadors will also hand out Fuse t-shirts, stickers with local channel numbers, prizes and other paraphernalia at campuses, malls and other locales that capture Fuse’s 12-34 demographic.
‘ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW’
On the heels of the IFC Center opening, IFC announces the success of the Center’s debut film, Miranda July’s festival favorite, “Me and You and Everyone We Know.” The film opened in New York exclusively at the IFC Center on June 17 and grossed a weekend total of $30,801.00 ($49,058.00 gross for the week). To date, the film’s cumulative total at the IFC Center is over $200,000. A 2005 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize winner for Originality of Vision, the film embodies everything IFC stands for – developing and nurturing talent, and maximizing the value of independent film.
The IFC Center serves as a focal point for the independent film community ? both to filmgoers and filmmakers alike. Conceived by IFC Entertainment President Jonathan Sehring, the IFC Center is run by John Vanco, co-founder of Cowboy Pictures and considered one of the industry’s most respected young executives. IFC converted the historic Waverly Theater building, which was originally built as a church in the early 1800’s, into an architecturally distinctive, state-of-the-art facility. The new facility features three theaters each equipped to screen 35mm and high-definition digital video, digital editing suites, a restaurant, and a meeting area, and is the new bricks and mortar home of IFC.
To support WE’s third season of She House, WE: Women’s Entertainment is teaming with Time Warner in Wilmington, North Carolina on a series of local events to increase buzz about She House, which this year will build a woman’s dream home in the local market. On August 13th, WE and Time Warner will host an in-store event, open to the public, at the Westfield Independence Mall featuring guest appearances by She House designers, Jennifer Clutter and Aimee Cook, who will provide home design tips and be on hand for audience Q&A. Then, on September 9, WE will host 25 Time Warner Wilmington clients at the live taping of the She House home give away followed by a barbeque celebration. These events lead to the September 20th season finale when two finalists will try their key in the door of the finished home, complete with appliances, furnishings and accessories. Beginning August 2nd, visitors can log onto www.we.tv to view the construction of She House, learn simple decorating tips, and enter to win the home of their dreams.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
A leader in sports, news and entertainment programming, Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation. Rainbow owns and manages national networks: AMC, Fuse, IFC (The Independent Film Channel) and WE: Women’s Entertainment, as well as on-demand services including Mag Rack and sportskool. Rainbow’s other businesses include its regional programming services – Rainbow Sports Networks, News 12 Networks and Metro Traffic & Weather – in addition to the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications.