In a Big Fat First, SHOWTIME Teams With Yahoo! For Webcast of Kirstie Alley's 'FAT ACTRESS' Premiere Episode

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 16 -- In a history-making move, Showtime Networks will team with Yahoo!, the world's most trafficked Internet destination to stream the complete first episode of FAT ACTRESS, the highly- anticipated new comedy series, simultaneously with the SHOWTIME premiere on Monday, March 7th at 10 p.m. EST. This is the first time that Yahoo! will debut an entire episode of a TV series. The webcast, which will make the Kirstie Alley laffer premiere available to anyone with Internet access, will remain available for streaming, in its entirety, on Yahoo! TV (http://tv.yahoo.com) until March 12th.

Yahoo! will promote the series on the Yahoo! network two weeks prior to the webcast. Yahoo! TV will host FAT ACTRESS features, such as video clips, photos, upcoming episode information and a link to the FAT ACTRESS website on SHO.com.

"We are always looking for aggressive new ways to promote our shows, generate buzz and provide an opportunity for sampling, and Yahoo! is the perfect vehicle to spread the word and expose this great series to a whole new audience beyond Showtime," said Showtime President of Entertainment, Robert Greenblatt.

"We could not be more pleased to be associated with Showtime's high quality programming and are delighted to give our users the ability to be one of the first to check out this much discussed new show," stated Doug Hirsch, General Manager of Yahoo! Entertainment. "We look forward to working with Showtime to continue bringing exciting and unique content to our audiences."

Two-time Emmy(R) Award-winning actress Kirstie Alley stars in the series which follows the struggles of a woman who doesn't meet Hollywood's age and weight requirements. She's looking for love and work in an unforgiving industry. Combining humor and pathos, FAT ACTRESS explores the challenges and triumphs of overcoming whatever makes someone uncomfortable about themselves. The series will air on Mondays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), beginning on March 7th. The series was created by Kirstie Alley and Brenda Hampton.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom Inc., owns the premium television networks SHOWTIME(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) and FLIX(R), as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME(R) TOO(TM), SHOWTIME(R) SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME(R), SHOWTIME BEYOND(R), SHOWTIME NEXT(R), SHOWTIME WOMEN(R), SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE(R) and TMC xtra. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD(R), SHOWTIME ON DEMAND(R) and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND(TM). SNI operates and manages the premium television network SUNDANCE CHANNEL(R), which is a venture between NBC Universal, Robert Redford, and Showtime Networks Inc. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME(R) PPV. Additionally, the advertiser-supported television network SHOWTIME is available in Turkey through a joint venture with UK-based Zone Vision.

About Yahoo! Entertainment

Consistently ranked as one of the Web's most popular entertainment destinations, (Nielsen//NetRatings), Yahoo! Movies, TV and Entertainment are the most comprehensive entertainment destinations on the Internet, providing fans with TV listings, movie show times advanced ticketing, DVD release information, reviews, celebrity gossip and previews for all current films and television shows, with a database of over 100,000 feature film and television titles.

SOURCE SHOWTIME
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