New Orleans, LA – May 19, 2008 – In the midst of what has been a banner year, Rainbow Media announces a series of new programming and multi-platform initiatives at the 2008 Cable Show focused on further solidifying its position as one of cable television's true innovators.
Rainbow's unprecedented year of growth is wide-ranging and all-encompassing, extending across all of its entertainment brands and across all platforms. Its momentum has been propelled by record ratings growth at both AMC and WE tv, substantial increases in VOD and online usage, especially at IFC network, and record-breaking performance of the Company's IFC In Theaters theatrical and VOD film distribution platform. In addition, Rainbow's recent acquisition of Sundance Channel adds another highly-respected brand to its current line-up of distinctive national networks.
At the 2008 Cable Show, Rainbow Media will showcase its continued emphasis on transforming its national networks-which now includes Sundance Channel-into high-definition, multi-platform entertainment brands which feature compelling original content. A pioneer in the VOD space, Rainbow also continues to expand its on-demand platforms and distribution, creating more value for its distribution partners as well as its viewers.
The following compilation of news items includes programming announcements, corporate marketing initiatives, panel appearances and booth activities.
RAINBOW MEDIA CABLE SHOW NEWS: DAY TWO
WE tv's HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL COMING TO A CLASSROOM NEAR YOU
Following WE tv's March premiere of High School Confidential, its critically-acclaimed documentary series that achieved record-breaking ratings, the network received an overwhelming response from school teachers across the country who felt the series would be an invaluable viewing experience for their students. As a result, WE tv is teaming with Cable in the Classroom and New Line Television to make the acclaimed and popular series available on DVD to high schools and educators nationwide.
To kick off this initiative, WE tv, New Line Television and Cable in the Classroom will donate 200 DVDs of the complete High School Confidential series to CableCares during the Cable Show. The DVDs will go to the 20 high schools in the New Orleans' Recovery School District for health education, guidance counselors and other curriculum needs.
High School Confidential, an eight-part documentary series, presents a candid, in-depth look into the lives of twelve girls, through their high school years. Hailed as "…fascinating, and important…" by TV Guide and "…remarkable…" by Hollywood Reporter, the series premiered on WE tv March 10th through April 28th and is ranked among some of the network's highest-rated original series, and contributed to the network having its most successful quarter in its history.
HENRY ROLLINS FEATURED IN NEW IFC NEWS PROGRAMMING EVENT
IFC News is taking Henry Rollins' unique stage show on the road for a new Uncut series of three documentary-style specials premiering in November. Henry Rollins: Uncut will pair topical and thought-provoking commentary from the famed singer/actor/author/talk show host, with documentary footage to boldly explore some of the world's most controversial locations, including New Orleans, Northern Ireland, and South Africa. The Henry Rollins: Uncut series will delve into political and cultural issues of each region, with a balance of humor, attitude and intensity that is uniquely Rollins.
In New Orleans, Rollins will explore the city, which, despite financial deprivation, is rich in artistic value, and discuss the celebrities and musicians who have made New Orleans their home and are leading the charge to revive this great city.
Henry Rollins: Uncut will debut on IFC FREE, the network's new On Demand offering, in October, prior to its November linear premiere.
Adding to IFC's impressive line-up of original premieres this year, the three hour-long specials further expand the network's growing IFC News division, which continues to cover issues and events beyond the film industry from popular and political culture.
TURN YOURSELF AND FRIENDS INTO BRIDEZILLAS
In effort to promote the June 1 season five premiere of WE tv's break-out hit Bridezillas, the network launched today a fun application on its website www.WEtv.com that lets visitors create their own personal videos of themselves acting out the outrageous behavior often associated with stressed-out brides-to-be. Viewers submit photos online, which are then imposed into the video, creating the perception that the user is part of the video.
Users will be able to click through several unruly bride video templates, each with different dress, hair and, of course, all are equally distraught with her bride-related issues. Users then choose from prerecorded audio or a text-to-speech application; both allowing the user to add audio and further personalize their video.
Viral elements let the customized Bridezilla share with friends via email or embed code for blogs, social networks, etc.
WE tv developed this application with OddCast, a provider of speaking avatar-based products.
IFC DEBUTS AWARD-WINNING ORIGINAL DOC AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR ON THURSDAY, MAY 29 AT 9PM ET/PT
IFC's award-winning original documentary, At the Death House Door, will premiere Thursday, May 29 at 9pm ET/PT. Directed by Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and Peter Gilbert, the non-fiction feature provides a gripping and intimate look at the death penalty in Texas through the eyes of a Death House Chaplain, Pastor Carroll Pickett. One in a series of entertaining and edgy IFC doc projects slated for this year, the film first became available May 1st on IFC FREE, the network's high-definition VOD offering on which premieres of original series and specials are available on-demand, before they premiere on the linear network.
At the Death House Door follows the remarkable career journey of Pastor Pickett, and focuses on the story of the wrongful execution of Carlos DeLuna, a convict whom Pickett counseled and whose execution troubled Pickett more than any other. He firmly believed DeLuna was innocent, and the film tracks the investigative efforts of a team of Chicago Tribune reporters who have turned up evidence that strongly suggests he was.
At the Death House Door is a Kartemquin Films Production in association with the Chicago Tribune. The documentary is directed and produced by Steve James and Peter Gilbert, and executive produced by Gordon Quinn.
VOOM HD NETWORKS SHOWS FILM FANS WHERE THE ACTION HAPPENED
Today, VOOM HD NETWORKS launches a new website, www.MovieMapping.com which gives film buffs exact locations across the U.S. where legendary movies have been filmed. Powered by Google Maps, the site will help promote VOOM HD's movie channels, which include FILM FEST HD, VOOM HD MOVIES and MONSTERS HD. The site launches with a tribute to Woody Allen's work in conjunction with a Woody Allen Film Festival currently airing on FILM FEST HD.
This summer on MovieMapping.com, VOOM HD MOVIES, the channel devoted to presenting Hollywood hits in high definition, will launch a sweepstakes in which a winner will receive a trip to Philadelphia to visit all the sites and locations from the original Rocky-run up the front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, visit the Philadelphia Zoo where Rocky proposed to Adrian in Rocky II, and dine at one of Philadelphia's most famous eateries, Pat's King of Steaks, where Rocky ate with Gazzo who gave him $500 for training. The grand prize will include airfare, hotel accommodations and a $1,000 spending stipend.
RAINBOW CEO JOSH SAPAN JOINS CABLE POSITIVE TO DONATE ART TO LOCAL AIDS ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Josh Sapan, President and CEO, Rainbow Media, joins Cable Positive, the cable and telecommunications industry's AIDS action organization, to help expand the organization's local community outreach efforts across the country with additional donations from Mr. Sapan's collection of "discarded art." Mr. Sapan, a longtime supporter of Cable Positive, began donating his discarded art to Cable Positive's online eBay auction for Wolrd AIDS Day on December 1, 2007, which raised thousands of dollars for Cable Positive's initiatives. Furthering this partnership, Mr. Sapan will donate several additional pieces from his "discarded art" collection to local AIDS organizations across the U.S. which are affiliated with Cable Positive's regional chapters. Mr. Sapan's extensive collection of "discarded art" is comprised of paintings and photos he rescues from sidewalks, art schools, and even yard sales.
Mr. Sapan kicked-off the expanded partnership yesterday, with a special 35-piece art donation to New Orleans-based AIDS organizations Project Lazarus and Kent House, which also commenced Cable Positive's volunteer efforts at the organization during The 2008 Cable Show.
DAY TWO CABLE SHOW BOOTH EVENT: RAINBOW BOOTH #1329
AMC BRINGS "MAD" WORLD TO NEW ORLEANS
On Monday, May 19, visitors to Rainbow Media's booth #1329 will be transported to 1960 – the era of Don Draper and the Sterling Cooper advertising agency – to celebrate AMC's award-winning hit series, Mad Men. From 2:30-4:00pm, Rainbow Media will host a cocktail party with drinks, hors de oeuvres and (candy) cigarettes fittingly served by waiters and waitresses decked out in 1960s garb.
The party will give a nod to the series' two Golden Globe Award wins-for Best TV Drama and Best Actor in a Dramatic Performance (Jon Hamm)-by featuring an elaborate Golden Globe Award ice sculpture. A bikini-clad model floating in a 6-foot-tall martini glass will give a literal toast to the world of Mad Men and the show's huge success. Rainbow Media will also raffle off a high-definition laptop during the event at 3:45pm. Entrants must be present at the drawing to win.
The highly-anticipated second season of Mad Men premieres in July, and will be available in both standard and high-definition. Season one of Mad Men will premiere on-demand on Monday, June 30.
A smart and cinematic drama about the professional lives, social mores and sexual exploits of advertising executives on Madison Avenue circa 1960, when the industry was at its height of glamour, power, and prestige, the Peabody Award-winning Mad Men burst onto the scene in July 2007 and quickly became one of the most talked about and acclaimed television series. Hailed by The New York Times as "a series that breaks new ground by luxuriating in the not-so-distant past…it serves as a bridge to a faded and now forbidden world," Mad Men was featured as a Top 10 program of 2007 in a number of top publications and was called the best show of the year by the Associated Press.
RAINBOW MEDIA DAY ONE NATIONAL SHOW EXECUTIVE PANEL PRESENCE:
WHO: Ellen Kroner- Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications for Rainbow Media
WHAT: Panel: In Our Fragmented Media World, How To Successfully Run Publicity Programs
WHEN: Monday, May 19th from 9:00am – 10:30am.
Ms. Kroner and other industry experts will discuss the broad array of media choices available to communications executives, and how to make an impact and drive the message home. Panelists will also discuss how they leverage both electronic and old media to meet their publicity and bottom line objectives.
WHO: Charlie Collier, Executive Vice President and General Manager for AMC
WHAT: Panel: Upper Hand: Cable's Advanced Advertising Advantage
WHEN: Monday, May 19th from 10:45am – 12:00pm.
Mr. Collier will contribute to a panel discussion about cable industry initiatives designed to introduce new forms of highly efficient, highly engaging television advertising that could potentially revolutionize the medium. Top cable advertising strategists will discuss how cable is blending unique technology, delivery and audience-measurement attributes to produce powerful and persuasive new advertising forms and formats.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media is a leading producer of targeted, multi-platform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, WE tv, LIFESKOOL, SPORTSKOOL, and VOOM HD Networks. Through its IFC Entertainment division, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a theatrical feature film distribution company; IFC First Take/IFC in Theaters, a day and date theatrical feature film/VOD initiative; the IFC Center in New York City; IFC Productions, a feature film production company; and IFC Entertainment, which owns and operates a film library. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales company, and Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company.