| [January 15, 2013] |
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The Walt Disney Company and AT&T U-verse Announce Broad Distribution Agreement
DALLAS & BRISTOL, Conn. --(Business Wire)--
AT&T (News - Alert) U-verse®, the fastest growing television service
provider in the country*, and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) today
announced a comprehensive long-term distribution agreement to deliver
Disney's (News - Alert) robust lineup of top quality sports, news and entertainment
content to AT&T U-verse TV customers across televisions, computers,
smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and internet-enabled televisions.
The renewal agreement enhances the multichannel business model and
supports the companies' mutual goal to deliver the best video content to
customers across multiple platforms.
As part of the new multi-year deal, AT&T U-verse will introduce several
new services, including the full suite of authenticated WATCH products,
ESPN (News - Alert) 3D, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater, Disney Junior and the
upcoming ABC News/Univision Joint Venture, a 24/7 news, information and
lifestyle multi-platform network for English-dominant and bilingual
Hispanics, the youngest and fastest-growing demographic in the U.S. In
total, approximately 70 services are covered by the broad scope of this
agreement including: ABC, ABC Family, Disney Channel, Disney Junior,
Disney XD, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic,
ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN 3D, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN Full
Court, ESPN3, The Longhorn Network, and retransmission consent for
WABC-TV, KABC-TV, WLS-TV, KGO-TV, KTRK-TV, WTVD-TV and KFSN-TV, as well
as more than 10 high-definition networks.
AT&T U-verse customers will receive broad access to existing
authenticated products like WATCH Disney Channel, WATCH Disney XD, WATCH
Disney Junior and WatchESPN (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPN Goal Line
and ESPN Buzzer Beater) as well as the to-be-launched WATCH ABC and
WATCH ABC Family services, through the networks' own WATCH sites and
apps as well as AT&T's U-verse.com site and apps. These products will
give AT&T U-verse customers more opportunities to access live and video
on demand content, both in-home and out-of-home, on their computers,
smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles. ESPN3 will also be available
to any residential AT&T High Speed Internet customer, across screens and
devices.
"We're proud to deliver more Disney content and services to U-verse
customers across the screens they watch most," said Jeff Weber (News - Alert),
President of Content and Advertising Sales, AT&T Home Solutions. "Our
U-verse customers expect access to content when they want it, where they
want it, and this renewal gives them more value and access to a variety
of live and on demand content in and outside the home."
Added David Preschlack, Executive Vice President, Affiliate Sales and
Marketing, Disney & ESPN Networks Group, "The renewal with AT&T U-verse
- our seventh top ten distributor agreement in just over two years -
extends the value of the multichannel subscription model with the
addition of new networks and service from The Walt Disney Company.
Viewers are increasingly living in a multi-screen world, and with this
new deal, they will enjoy such benefits as live access to content via
the WATCH Disney and WatchESPN services across platforms."
The extensive and expanded rights package for Video On Demand content to
AT&T U-verse TV customers includes:
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ABC On Demand, which currently features a selection of top-rated
primetime entertainment programming, including episodes of such
popular current ABC shows as "Castle," "Grey's Anatomy," "Once Upon A
Time," "Private Practice" and "Revenge." Full current seasons will be
made available on a number of shows.
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ABC Family On Demand, which features a variety of top-rated full
episodes, refreshed monthly, from such popular millennial favorites as
"Switched at Birth," "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," "Baby
Daddy," "Bunheads" and "Melissa & Joey." Full current seasons will be
made available on a number of shows. ABC Family original movies like
"Mistle-Tones" will also be available.
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Disney-branded On Demand offerings, including Disney Channel On
Demand, Disney Junior On Demand, and Disney XD On Demand. Refreshed
each month, the Disney Channel On Demand offering will include
episodes from such series as "Handy Manny," "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,"
and "Jake and the Never Land Pirates" for preschoolers, as well as
variety of episodes from "A.N.T. Farm," "Good Luck Charlie,"
"Jessie," and other popular series for older kids. Select episodes
featured on Disney Channel On Demand will be available in innovative
new offerings, such as playlists and monthly programming blocks, in
addition to a number of episodes available in multiple languages. A
variety of Disney Channel Original Movies will also be available.
Disney XD On Demand features a selection of episodes from such series
as the Emmy Award-winning animated hit "Phineas and Ferb," "Pair of
Kings" and "Kickin' It."
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Expanded On Demand content from ESPN, including content from ESPN
Deportes and ESPN's award-winning original content from ESPN Films.
* Claim based on comparison of major TV providers' percentage growth in
subscriber counts and national market share data over the last 12
quarters combined.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one
of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and
affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T
services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful
array of network resources that includes the nation's largest 4G
network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed
Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet,
AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S.
carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most
countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and
AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business
communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services
provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at www.att.com.
This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at www.att.com/newsroom
and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss.
Or follow our news on Twitter (News - Alert) at @ATT.
Geographic and service restrictions apply to AT&T U-verse. Call or go to www.att.com/uverse
to see if you qualify
© 2013 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T,
the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of
AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.
About The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), together with its subsidiaries and
affiliates, is the world's largest diversified international family
entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media
networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and
interactive media. Disney Media Networks comprise a vast array of The
Walt Disney Company's broadcast, cable, radio and publishing businesses,
including Disney/ABC Television Group and ESPN, Inc. Disney is a Dow 30
company and had annual revenues of $42.3 billion in its most recent
fiscal year.

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