NBCU, DISH Network in Interactive Ad Deal

ENGLEWOOD/NEW YORK, May
21: DISH Network has agreed to provide interactive advertising capabilities to
NBC Universal’s 14 television networks and ten NBC owned-and-operated stations,
which will allow the satellite platform’s subscribers to request more
information from advertisers via their remote controls.

DISH subscribers who have
a digital video recorder (DVR) will now have the option of using their remote
controls to request further information from advertisers about their products
or to receive coupons for various product discounts. As part of the agreement,
NBC Universal will offer the ability to purchase advertisements with
interactive trigger capabilities, which allow viewers to select an icon
displayed during a commercial that will take them to a page to obtain more
information about the advertiser. When finished, viewers are returned to their
programming at the exact place they exited. The advertiser information page may
contain details about a product, service or more. NBC will also be able to
provide advertisers with detailed reports about viewer participation with DISH
Network's interactive products. Both DISH Network and NBC Universal will
continue to work together to develop new interactive products to serve future
clients.

DISH Network's latest HD
DVR, the ViP722, is a dual-tuner receiver that can record up to 500 hours of
programming. The ViP722 operates two televisions, one in HD and the other in
standard definition, allowing customers to view programming from the receiver
in separate rooms at the same time.

“Our agreement with DISH
Network is part of NBCU's ongoing initiative to make television advertising
more effective and provide better accountability for our clients' media
investments,'' said Mike Pilot, the president of sales and marketing for NBC
Universal. “With this deal, we're extending our ability to provide RFI
capability to any commercial on any NBCU network—an important step and a
unique capability in the market as we work with our clients to better
understand and adapt to the new ways consumers are watching television.”

“Bringing the capabilities
and national reach of DISH Network's interactive TV platform to the network
level with NBC Universal brings national advertisers the scale and
return-on-investment that they have been searching for,” added Michael Finn,
the VP of advertising sales for DISH Network. “Inserting on-screen triggers in
the full suite of NBCU networks allows viewers the ability to interact with an
advertiser's brand and request more information—a powerful proposition
that we know to be valuable to both advertisers and viewers.”

—By Irene Lew