The Weather Channel(R) Interactive Launches 'Blue Box' Video Player on weather.com

The Weather Channel(R) Interactive Launches 'Blue Box' Video Player on weather.com

New, Cutting-Edge Player Offers Enhanced Visuals, Search, and Enhanced Ad Products

ATLANTA, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc., (TWCI) today announced the launch of "Blue Box," a state-of-the-art video player on weather.com. The flash-based player, designed to showcase the vast library of video content on weather.com and provide additional opportunities for advertisers to target consumers, is powered by technology from Brightcove and DoubleClick.

The player features made-for-broadband content as well as programming from The Weather Channel network, including new shows such as Epic Conditions. Visitors to weather.com can now easily search and tab-through video content as well as share favorite videos with friends. Enhancements for advertisers include the ability to place brand-messages in three different areas on the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) compliant player

The Blue Box player utilizes DoubleClick In-Stream, the industry's leading solution for video ad serving, which allows The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc. to schedule, forecast, and measure the effectiveness of in-stream video advertisements within Blue Box, while providing IAB-compliant metrics. In addition, Blue Box uses DART(R) for Publishers (DFP), DoubleClick's ad management and serving solution, to manage its extensive advertising inventory

Along with weather.com, The Weather Channel Interactive will be adopting the Brightcove Internet TV platform on a corporate-wide basis. With Brightcove, TWCI will have the ability in the future to syndicate content to Website affiliates and through viral distribution via email, blogs and social networks.

Blue Box will make navigation as simple as possible by featuring five "channels," each with a distinct color and logo to support overall branding and provide visual cues while moving through the player experience. Videos will be categorized under the umbrellas of Forecasts, Lifestyle, News/Breaking Weather, On The Weather Channel, and Severe Weather.

"With all the video content weather.com has to offer, we wanted to provide a superior video player that will make it easier for our users to access and view relevant content, especially during severe weather and hurricanes," said Joe Fiveash, executive vice president and general manager of The Weather Channel Interactive.

Millions of users turn to weather.com during severe weather to stay informed about hurricanes and threatening storms. With the upgraded experience provided by Blue Box, users will be able to find relevant content quickly and easily and ultimately safeguard users by providing valuable information.

Blue Box is available now and can be found clicking http://www.weather.com/bluebox.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

About The Weather Channel Interactive

The Weather Channel Interactive is the leading provider of broadband and wireless weather products including weather.com, Desktop Weather by The Weather Channel, and The Weather Channel Mobile. weather.com, the Web site of The Weather Channel, is the ultimate source of weather on the Web helping users plan their lives by delivering timely current conditions, expert forecasts and relevant lifestyle content for 98,000 locations worldwide. weather.com reaches more than 35 million unique users each month, is the most popular source of online weather, news and information and is the most trusted source of online weather information according to Nielsen//NetRatings. The Weather Channel Interactive also provides consumers with unique and customizable products such as Desktop Weather and a full lineup of mobile services including downloads, messaging, mobile Web, and mobile video. Other TWCi sites include forGetaway.com, a vacation home rental site, Forecast Earth, a site dedicated to the discussion of climate change, and a series of international sites, including http://www.weather.co.uk/, http://www.meteo123.com/, http://www.wetter123.com/, http://www.canaldotempo.com/ and http://www.weather.com/espanol.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc.

CONTACT: David Blumenthal of The Weather Channel, +1-770-226-2611,
dblumenthal@weather.com

Web site: http://www.weather.com/bluebox
http://www.weather.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment