Online Teen Networking Site Inks Studio Deals

SAN JOSE, December 4: Gaia Online, a social networking site
for teens, has shored up content deals with Sony Pictures Television and Warner
Bros. to bring a range of titles to its virtual theater, the Gaia Cinema.

The more than 2.5 million teens who visit Gaia every month
will have access to a combination of pay-per-view and ad-supported free
programming. The Sony deal covers 50 pay-per-view premium movies like Spider-man, Gattaca
and Ghost Rider and television
content will include titles from The Minisode Network, AXN and Funnybones
channels. In the second half of the yearlong engagement, Sony will provide 25
additional movies on an ad-supported, free-to-the-user basis as well as free
anime programming. The agreement also includes licensing to sell virtual goods
based on this content for Gaia members to outfit their avatars. The partnership
also includes an investment from Sony Pictures in Gaia Online in the series B
round.

The Warner Bros. agreement covers titles like The Matrix, Batman Returns, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
and Superman 2 & 3, among
others. While select movies will be available for free, recent releases will
operate on a pay-per-view basis at $1.99 per screening.

At the Gaia Online Cinema, concession stands offer popcorn
and other items to enhance the viewing experience, such as laser pointers,
fireballs and tomatoes for throwing at the screen. Users can also chat during
the films and access virtual movie posters.

Craig Sherman, the CEO of Gaia Online, noted: "The Gaia
Cinemas are just one of the many ways that Gaia attracts such a loyal user
base, where teens spend more hours per day than any other social network or
virtual world."

—By Mansha Daswani