SEATTLE, WA, July 21, 2003 – Fuse, the nation's only all-music, viewer-influenced network will serve as a major sponsor of one of the extreme sporting world's most anticipated annual events, The U.S. Open of Surfing & Music Festival. The announcement was made today by Fuse president, Marc Juris at the CTAM Summit in Seattle.
This unique surfing, extreme sports and music festival will take place from July 29 – August 4, 2003 in Huntington Beach, California. Top surfers from around the world will compete in the largest and most prestigious professional surfing event, The U.S. Open of Surfing. There will also be a "Soul Bowl" that will showcase the talents of today's top skateboarders and BMX competitors, from the Hoffman Sports Association and World Cup Skateboarding.
All the action will unfold to a soundtrack of live performances by top national acts including Hoobastank, on a concert stage sponsored in part by Fuse. Fuse will be partnering with American Legacy Foundation, the anti-smoking advocacy group, on a pro-social campaign targeted at the tens of thousands of young people scheduled to attend. The duo will have a co-branded tent on-site where they will distribute compelling educational literature, along with innovative Fuse premiums created especially for the event.
Armchair X-athletes will be able to revel in the exciting sites and sounds with the August 28 premiere of Fuse Fest: Surf Fest. The 90-minute special will incorporate the best of the sporting and musical action, including exclusive interview with top athletes and chart-topping bands. (Encores: August 28, 2 am; August 30, 5 pm, August 31, 8 pm and midnight).
"The U.S. Open of Surfing is an ideal sponsorship venue for Fuse," stated Mr. Juris. "It brings our brand directly to the superstars and fans of extreme sports – people who are just as passionate about music as they are their sport. It also enables us to bring our viewers along to experience this truly exciting event."
About Fuse:
Fuse is the nation's only all-music, viewer-influenced television network, featuring music videos, exclusive artist interviews, live concerts and specials — all rooted in the music experience. Fuse reflects the rapidly changing interests and attitudes of its 12-34 year-old audience by uniting the media platforms that are at the center of their communication and entertainment – TV, online, and interactive games – and by incorporating their opinions and suggestions into its on-air and online programming. More information about Fuse is available at www.fuse.tv.
About Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc.:
A leader in sports, news and entertainment programming, Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC). Rainbow owns and manages national networks: AMC, Fuse, IFC (The Independent Film Channel) and WE: Women's Entertainment, as well as Mag Rack, a collection of on-demand video magazines. Rainbow's other businesses include its regional programming services — MetroChannels, News 12 Networks and Rainbow Sports Networks – in addition to the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. Rainbow is a 50 percent partner in Fox Sports Net.