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Thursday, July 14, 2005

PlanetOut Video Enters Partnership with here! Networks

PlanetOut Video Enters Partnership with here! Networks

New Broadband Entertainment Service Targeting Gay Audience Taps here! Networks as an Initial Content Provider

SAN FRANCISCO, July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PlanetOut Inc. (NASDAQ:LGBT), a leading global media company serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, today announced the addition of here! Networks as an initial content provider for PlanetOut Video.

Launching in September, PlanetOut Video is a broadband entertainment service designed to engage online audiences with LGBT multi-media programming aggregated from TV networks, movie studios, independent film producers and individual artists. The service will be available on Gay.com and PlanetOut.com, Web sites with a combined monthly reach of more than five million unique visitors.

"here! is an innovative leader in gay programming and is also developing great original content," said Mark Elderkin, president of PlanetOut. "We believe the future is about customizable targeted news and entertainment that moves control from the producer to the user, something the Internet does best.

"PlanetOut Video will provide an expanded online setting to drive community interaction and foster a deeper interest in a wide selection of video content provided by our partners and our in-house editorial staff," he added.

here! Networks will supply highlight clips and behind-the-scenes footage from several of their upcoming original series, including "Third Man Out," starring Chad Allen as gay detective Donald Strachey in a gritty series of crime stories based on the popular novels by author Richard Stevenson; and "Dante's Cove," a show about the sexy, young residents of a peaceful beachside town who are plunged into a world of intrigue, secrets and shifting romantic ties when their town's sinister, supernatural past comes alive.

"As here! Networks continues to expand across the country, we couldn't be more excited about our partnership with one of the world's most important LGBT Web destinations," said Paul Colichman, here! CEO and founder. "Pairing our groundbreaking programming like Margaret Cho's new show, "Assassin," with the groundbreaking work of PlanetOut, makes for an ideal new collaboration."

PlanetOut Video will kick off in September with the premiere of "TransGeneration" -- a Sundance Channel mini-series which follows four mid-gender transition college students, as they balance schoolwork, campus life and family, with their commitment to gender reassignment.

With editorial programming tailored to entertain a diverse gay and lesbian audience, PlanetOut Video will feature video clips and behind-the-scenes footage from original programs, syndicated programs and films. Meanwhile, discussion boards will provide a way for members to participate and share their comments about videos shown on PlanetOut Video, while the Gay TV Guide will allow viewers to search for LGBT shows available on cable and network television. Award-winning short films from the "PlanetOut Short Movie Awards" will also be featured on PlanetOut Video.

Aside from here! and Sundance Channel, PlanetOut plans to enter into other content partnerships in the future. In 2006, it is expected that member-generated video content will be procured and distributed through PlanetOut Video.

About here!

here!, America's first gay television network, was established in 2002 by Regent Entertainment co-founders Paul Colichman and Stephen P. Jarchow. here!, currently available in more than 42 million households, offers a wide variety of groundbreaking original movies and series plus the world's largest gay and lesbian film library targeted to a broad-based gay and lesbian audience. here! is available across the U.S. via satellite and carried by major cable providers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.heretv.com.

About PlanetOut Inc.

PlanetOut Inc. is a leading global online media company offering consumer services, news and entertainment to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The company serves its growing base of more than 3.5 million active members worldwide through a comprehensive group of branded businesses featuring diverse chat, news, entertainment, travel, dating, personal finance, career, shopping and community services at Gay.com, PlanetOut.com, Kleptomaniac.com and OUT&ABOUT Travel. PlanetOut, based in San Francisco, offers FORTUNE 1000 advertisers access to what it believes to be the most extensive network of gay and lesbian people in the world. Gay.com consistently ranks in the top five, among all Web sites measured, for average time spent at home online per visitor in the U.S., according to Nielsen//NetRatings' Loyalty Stickiness Report. For more information, please visit www.planetoutinc.com.

Forward Looking Statements

In addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding PlanetOut's anticipated future growth and financial performance, as well as statements containing the words "will," believes," "feels," "expects," and similar words. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the Company's limited operating history and variability of operating results; the Company's ability to attract and retain subscribers and advertisers, competition, and our dependence on our technology infrastructure and the Internet. Additional information concerning factors that could affect our future business and financial results is included in the Company's Form S-1 and other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov.

Source: PlanetOut Inc.

CONTACT: Spencer Moore, Director, Corporate Communications, of PlanetOut Inc., +1-415-834-6476, or mobile, +1-415-317-7100, or spencer.moore@planetoutinc.com; or Stephen Macias, VP, Corporate Communications, of here! Networks, +1-310-806-6389, or mobile, +1-310-409-7374, or stephenm@heretv.com

Web site: http://www.heretv.com/

Web site: http://www.planetout.com/

------- Profile: Ent

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