Harrah's Entertainment and MTV Games Announce the Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band(R) Competition

Harrah's Entertainment and MTV Games Announce the Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band(R) Competition

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- World class gaming and music entertainment giants Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:and) (NYSE:VIA.B) , have joined forces to find the best Rock Band(R) gamers in America with the first-ever Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band Competition. The competition kicks off in March when Harrah's Entertainment properties become the first in the world to have official and permanent, fully-equipped Rock Band entertainment stages.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090218/NY70963 )

Throughout March and April, seventeen Total Rewards casinos* will host local, weekly Rock Band Competitions, allowing fans of the popular game to win an Xbox 360 and Rock Band bundle as well as other Total Rewards items and Rock Band apparel and accessories. Four regional competitions will then offer customers the chance to win more than $50,000 in prizes.

The ultimate winning band will be given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open for the legendary B-52's at the House of Blues in Atlantic City on May 9th and will win $10,000 in prize money, making this the richest Rock Band competition in history. In addition, visitors at participating Total Rewards casinos across the country will be able to pick up their choice of guitar, bass, drums or vocals and rock out throughout the year during special Rock Band Nights.

"We're thrilled to be working with such an energetic and iconic company like MTV Games to further help bring Rock Band to the masses through our Total Rewards venues," said David Norton, chief marketing officer for Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. "We look forward to giving thousands of Rock Band fans a new reason to jam and take part in an event unlike anything they've ever experienced before."

"Harrah's is known for extraordinary entertainment and we are pumped to see the first of our fully equipped Rock Band stages hit Total Rewards casinos across the country," said Christina Glorioso, vice president of sales and marketing partnerships for MTV Games. "The full scope of the Rock Band and Harrah's program represents a great relationship between our two brands and will create significant value for our shared consumers."

The local Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band Competition will be open at participating properties to pre-registered amateur acts, 21 years and older, on a first come first serve basis. The events will be hosted and promoted by local radio stations. The Rock Band game scoring system will be used to score the participating rock bands on skill and performance, and MTV Games will provide the pre-determined song list for all the competitions.

The winning band from each location will then have a chance to go head-to-head at celebrity-judged competitions in Las Vegas (April 16), Chicago Area (April 24), New Orleans (April 30), and Atlantic City (May 7).

The four winning bands, one from each regional competition, will then have a chance to compete for the championship title in Atlantic City on May 8th. The regional events and Atlantic City events will be produced by MTV Networks Special Events, and hosted and judged by MTV, Harrah's, and local celebrities. Each band will compete on multiple Rock Band songs.

For more information and official rules on the competition, please visit http://www.harrahs.com/rockband.

   The seventeen participating Total Rewards casinos* include:    Eastern Region   Bally's Atlantic City   Harrah's Atlantic City   Showboat Atlantic City   Harrah's Chester (Philadelphia)    Southern Region   Harrah's New Orleans   Horseshoe Bossier City (Shreveport)   Harrah's Tunica (Memphis)   Harrah's Metropolis (Nashville)   Horseshoe Southern Indiana (Louisville)    Central Region   Harrah's Joliet (Chicago)   Harrah's St. Louis   Harrah's North Kansas City   Horseshoe Hammond (Chicago)   Harrah's Council Bluffs (Omaha)   Caesars Windsor (Windsor, Ontario,                    Canada/Detroit, MI)    Western Region   Harrah's Rincon (San Diego)   Harrah's Las Vegas    (* Subject to regulatory approval)    About Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.:   

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The Company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's(R), Caesars(R) and Horseshoe(R) brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos and the World Series of Poker(R). Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence, and technology leadership.

About MTV Games:

MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality, innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.

About MTV Networks:

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, Gametrailers and Xfire.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090218/NY70963
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN3

Source: Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.

CONTACT: Harrah's Entertainment: Jacqueline Peterson, +1-702-494-4829,
japeterson@harrahs.com, Sam Glazer, +1-212-593-6403,
glazers@plannedtvarts.com, or MTV Games: Mariana Agathoklis, +1-212-846-5755,
Mariana.Agathoklis@mtvstaff.com

Web Site: http://www.harrahs.com/rockband

---

Profile: International Entertainment