Austin Powers Makes Entertainment History With Feature-Length TV/Web Convergence Programming

New Line Television and HyperTV Networks, a subsidiary of ACTV, Inc., will enhance the pay-per-view airings of ""Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"" with an unparalleled, feature-length TV/Web convergence experience, powered by HyperTV(R). From January 1, 2000 through February 29, 2000, people nationwide who buy ""Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"" on pay-per-view will be able to simultaneously ""play along"" with the movie on their computer while they watch it on their TV.The Austin Powers/HyperTV experience will be available free-of-charge to pay-per-view consumers by downloading the free HyperTV plug-in from the official Austin Powers Web site (http://www.austinpowers.com). Once viewers register and download the plug-in, they will be able to log-on to automatically receive and interact with Web content that is synchronized to correspond with any pay-per-view airing of Austin Powers between January 1 and February 29, 2000. HyperTV will provide a synchronized interactive experience regardless of which cable or satellite pay-per-view provider delivers the movie into the home.The Austin Powers/HyperTV content will enhance and complement the viewing experience with online games, factoids and interactive trivia that humorously play off the plot, characters, cast and numerous pop culture references as they appear in the movie. See top-secret profiles of Dr. Evil; find out the origin of the Fembots; and read memos only Virtucon employees have ever seen...until now! In addition, viewers will be able to chat, in real-time, with other fans that are part of the Austin Powers HyperTV online community. Viewers are expected to receive special offers and discounts from sponsors of the pay-per-view airings, along with e-commerce opportunities for products related to the film.To experience Austin Powers/HyperTV programming, consumers need to have a television set with access to pay-per-view programming via cable or satellite, and a computer with an Internet connection located in the same room. According to a survey by Paul Kagan Associates, nearly one in five U.S. households currently exhibits convergent behavior, simultaneously viewing television and accessing the Internet. This represents more than 20 million convergent households in the U.S.""The pay-per-view launch demanded something worthy of Austin Powers. We needed to offer something outside-the-box that will give viewers a first-of-its-kind experience,"" said David Spiegelman, Executive Vice President Domestic Television Distribution, New Line Cinema. ""By incorporating a compelling interactive element via the Web in real-time, our viewers will experience a motion picture at home from an entirely new perspective. HyperTV and Austin Powers bring an exciting new entertainment platform to pay-per-view and to television in general.""""Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"" had the most successful opening weekend in history for a comedy, and has proven to be a marketing phenomenon, generating over $205 million at the boxoffice. New Line Television is backing the January 1, 2000 premiere of their blockbuster with the biggest pay-per-view promotion ever.The Austin Powers/HyperTV pay-per-view experience has received unprecedented support from Mike Myers (Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Fat Bastard) and Michael York (Basil Exposition). Never in the history of pay-per-view has a producer/star been so intimately involved in every aspect of a promotion, from inception to final execution of the HyperTV experience. To date, Mr. Myers and his management team have been enthusiastic and supportive, offering fast and valuable feedback and creative direction at every turn. Mr. York serves as the on-camera host for the five minute HyperTV introduction, as well as the voice-over talent for the TV and radio spots for the promotional campaign.Bruce Crowley, President, HyperTV Networks, Inc., said: ""The synchronized Web content and other interactive HyperTV features will provide Austin Powers fans with the most exciting TV/Web convergence experience ever offered, and provide substantial added value to their pay-per-view purchase. New Line has a history of innovation, and the Austin Powers/HyperTV venture is another example of New Line's aggressive, forward-thinking approach to providing movie fans with an improved entertainment experience.""About HyperTVÆACTV's patented HyperTV software solution enables TV networks, programmers and advertisers to automatically deliver to consumers compelling interactive Web content, Web-based advertising messages, e-commerce, and community chat features that are synchronized to correspond to a live or pre-recorded television program. The HyperTV software is a free browser plug-in for newer versions of either Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, the most popular web browsers. HyperTV is software-based, without hardware, chip or platform dependency, and can operate on any of today's principal PC operating systems. It is fully compatible with analog or digital television and broadband delivery infrastructures.Currently, HyperTV offers a ""two-screen"" solution for TV/Web convergence, targeting the more than 20 million convergent households in the U.S. today - people who watch TV while they surf the Web on their computer. As next generation digital set-top boxes, cable modems and other consumer devices are deployed, viewers will be able to enjoy a HyperTV experience with each of the elements - video, audio, synchronized Web content, Web-based ads, e-commerce and chat - simultaneously delivered directly to their television screen or to their desktop computer.HyperTV provides viewers with a richer interactive experience and allows them to become part of a dynamic virtual community, while allowing TV networks, programmers and advertisers to leverage the power of the Web to extend their brand identity, access lucrative e-commerce revenue streams, develop one-to-one relationships with viewers, and differentiate their program offerings today. HyperTV also has a database capability that captures valuable permission-based marketing information.About New Line CinemaFounded in 1967, New Line Cinema is the entertainment industry's leading independent producer and distributor of theatrical motion pictures. New Line licenses its films to ancillary markets including cable and broadcast television as well as to international venues. The company, which is a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., operates several divisions including in-house theatrical distribution, marketing, home video, television, acquisitions, production, licensing and merchandising units.