Yahoo! and Current TV Launch the Yahoo! Current Network; A Unique Video Experience and Community Built by and for the Internet Generation

September 20, 2006; 03:45 AM

Yahoo! Inc. , a leading global Internet company, and Current TV, a pioneer in "viewer created content" (VC2) for television and the Web, have partnered to deliver high-quality video content to one of the largest audiences on the Web. The launch of the Yahoo! Current Network, available at http://video.yahoo.com/currenttv, raises the bar for what consumers should expect from their online video experience. It combines the best in user submitted videos plus professional, studio-produced content to air side by side in a co-branded environment, leveraging the highly customizable Yahoo! Video platform.

"Current TV empowers young adults to actively participate in creating the television they want to watch, but in a broader sense, we're about giving young adults a voice," states Current TV co-founder and chairman Al Gore. "Current's mission has always been to spark a global conversation among young adults. Partnering with Yahoo! helps us advance this mission."

Every day, Yahoo! Current Network's unique video offerings blend pop culture awareness with journalistic sensibilities to offer a smart, irreverent take on trends, news and personalities. Videos created and submitted by users will be featured alongside professionally produced segments narrated by Yahoo! Current Network hosts to inform and entertain enthusiast and mainstream audiences. All Yahoo! Current Network content can be easily found, via a search shortcut, by going to Yahoo.com and searching for "Current."

"Current TV's strengths in producing and programming some of the most creative video content available, combined with Yahoo!'s leadership in online video and user-centered communities creates a unique experience. The new Yahoo! Current Network helps publishers find an audience and be discovered on the biggest network on the planet," said Dan Rosensweig, chief operating officer for Yahoo!. "In addition, the Yahoo! Current Network allows advertisers to reach highly targeted audiences in an engaging environment."

The Yahoo! Current Network debuts with four channels on Yahoo! Video that allow users to view and upload videos, participate in rich communities and share their passions. Channels include:

-- Yahoo! Current Buzz: A daily feature that reflects what the Yahoo! community is searching for, with segments that showcase the best of what's buzzing around the world and on the Web. Current Buzz is executive produced by Madeleine Smithberg, the Emmy and Peabody-winning co-creator and former executive producer of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

-- Yahoo! Current Action: The spot for action sports news and videos, straight from the people who love it and live it.

-- Yahoo! Current Driver: The destination for everything automotive from hot rods and classics to tricked-out imports and exotic super cars.

-- Yahoo! Current Traveler: A globe-spanning bulletin board of video postcards from people's greatest adventures.

Each channel will feature a daily selection of the best viewer created video submissions and professionally produced Buzz videos. These featured videos will be programmed into a set of custom branded channels with all content discoverable through Yahoo! Video. Every Monday at 5:00 p.m. PT, the best user created submission from each Yahoo! Current channel will air on Current's television broadcast and its producer will be paid $500 by Current TV. Additional channels will be launching as part of the Yahoo! Current Network over the next several months, with eight individual channels available by the end of 2007.

Through user participation features found on Yahoo! Video, including the ability to rate, review and share videos, all viewers can voice their opinions and share their favorite content. Users can personalize their experience by subscribing to channels, grouping videos related by source or topic and making videos viewable from their blogs or websites.

The Yahoo! Current Network offers advertisers the unique opportunity to reach a large, highly attractive audience of engaged, creative, media savvy young adults in a video rich environment. Yahoo! and Current TV will work with advertisers to develop new ad formats and integration opportunities to reach this audience in the most relevant ways. Advertisers will be able to purchase premier sponsorships and other packages, as well as pre-roll video ads and media banners on key Web pages.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! seeks to provide online products and services essential to users' lives, and offers a full range of tools and marketing solutions for businesses to connect with Internet users around the world. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

About Current TV

Current TV, which launched August 1, 2005, is the first national network created by, for and with an 18-34 year-old audience. The network shows young adults what's going on in their world, in their voice. Current is also the first network in history whose programming is supplied in part by the very audience who watches it. It has developed the television industry's leading model of "viewer created content" (VC2), which comprises roughly one-third of Current's on-air broadcast, and allows the audience to submit short-form, nonfiction video "pods," "viewer created ads" (V-CAMs), and mobile video. Its award-winning programming ranges from the hottest trends in technology, fashion, music and videogames, to pressing issues such as the environment, relationships, parenting, finance, politics and spirituality. Current is available in 30 million U.S. homes via Comcast (channel 107 nationwide), Time Warner Cable, and DirecTV (channel 366 nationwide). For more information, visit the website: www.current.tv.