or


[04/06/06 - 12:00 AM]
Bravo Inks Deal with Paypal to Be Among the First Companies to Offer Mobile Telephone Payments

[via press release from Bravo]

BRAVO INKS DEAL WITH PAYPAL TO BE AMONG THE FIRST COMPANIES TO OFFER MOBILE TELEPHONE PAYMENTS

BRAVO BROADENS ITS MERCHANDISING OPPORTUNITIES FOR VIEWERS AND LAUNCHES TEXT TO BUY SERVICE -- NEW TEXT MESSAGE-BASED PAYMENT SERVICE -- ON "TOP CHEF" STARTING WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, PEGGED TO THE GRAND OPENING OF THE "TOP CHEF" ONLINE STORE ON BRAVOTV.COM

NEW YORK -- April 6, 2006 -- Bravo will be among the first entertainment companies to offer PayPal Mobile, the new text message-based service which will allow viewers to purchase products anytime, from anywhere, using their mobile telephones. This landmark new Text to Buy service will launch on Bravo on Wednesday, April 12 with the channel's new original competitive reality series, "Top Chef". This new feature will coincide with the launch of the "Top Chef" online store on BravoTV.com. The announcement was made today by Lauren Zalaznick, President, Bravo.

"Bravo continues to be a pioneer and leader during these shifting times by teaming up with PayPal on this exciting initiative," said Zalaznick. "We saw record viewer response from all of our other interactive text messaging initiatives, from the voting during Project Runway's finale, to getting text messaged from Top Chef characters during the show. We strongly believe this new feature will be equally embraced by our savvy audience."

"Text To Buy gives our passionate viewers yet another way to connect to their favorite Bravo shows," said Jason Klarman, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Brand Strategy. "We continue to look for new ways to engage, activate and serve their insatiable appetite for being on the forefront of what's next."

Viewers will be prompted on-screen during the show to what products are available for purchase, and will be able to buy these items utilizing the text message feature on their cell phones. To use PayPal Mobile, viewers must have an active PayPal account and can then register their mobile telephone numbers at . After registering their cell number and choosing a Personal Identification Number (PIN), they are ready to use the Text to Buy service to purchase items. The following merchandise will be available for purchase on Top Chef on April 12, with new merchandise being offered throughout the run of the series.

TOP CHEF APRON Text: TCA to 63336 $36.00

TOP CHEF KITCHEN TOWELS Text: TCT to 63336 $29.00

The Text to Buy service launches in conjunction with the grand opening of BravoTV.com's Top Chef Online store, which provides viewers with the opportunity to buy products seen on the series online.

PayPal Mobile users make payments by sending an item's product code to PayPal. PayPal sends a text message back to the user to confirm the mobile payment, and then sends the money to the merchant. In the case of a Text to Buy purchase, after the merchant receives the payment, the item is shipped to the address already saved in the user's PayPal account.

Every PayPal Mobile payment is PIN-protected and backed by PayPal's state-of-the-art fraud prevention system. With PayPal Mobile, financial information is never shared with the recipient. Each user's financial information is stored on PayPal's secure servers, not on the mobile telephone, so even if the telephone is lost or stolen, the user's PayPal account remains secure. PayPal enables any individual or business with an email address to send and receive payments online and via mobile phone securely and easily using a bank account, credit card or stored balance.

Bravo will promote the PayPal Mobile Text to Buy service via on-air spots during "Top Chef" and on BravoTV.com. The price of all items will include tax and shipping to ensure viewers will have a one-stop and simplified process for this new feature.

About "Top Chef"
From the producers of "Project Runway," Bravo's reality competition series "Top Chef" offers a fascinating window into the competitive, pressure-filled environment of world-class cookery and the restaurant business. The series features some of the best up-and-coming chefs in the country who head to San Francisco for their shot at culinary stardom. Each episode holds two challenges for the chefs. The first is a quickfire test of their basic abilities and the second is a more involved elimination challenge designed to test the versatility and invention of the chefs as they take on unique culinary trials such as working with unusual and exotic foods or catering for a range of demanding clients. Katie Lee Joel is the host, and renowned chef Tom Colicchio serves as lead judge/head chef. Food expert Gail Simmons from Food & Wine magazine lends her expertise as a regular judge. The competing chefs will live and breathe the high-pressure lifestyle that comes with being a master chef, and each week someone will be asked to "pack up their knives" and go home. The winning chef will receive $100,000 in seed money to help encourage their culinary career, be featured in Food & Wine magazine, appear at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen in June 2006, and most importantly, earn the prestigious title of "Top Chef."

About Bravo
Bravo is the cable network that plugs people into arts, entertainment and pop culture with original programming, acclaimed drama series, movies, comedy and music specials, and by showing a whole different side of celebrities. Currently available in more than 80 million homes, Bravo is known for breaking exciting new personalities, shaking up the way we look at style, media, fame and Hollywood, pulling back the curtain on the creative process and making influential and inventive original programming. Its critically acclaimed and award-winning original programming includes "Blow Out", "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List", "Inside the Actors Studio," "Celebrity Poker Showdown," as well as the 2004 Emmy winner for Outstanding Reality Program, "Queer Eye" and the Emmy-nominated hit competition series, "Project Runway."

Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been a NBC Cable Network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information visit www.bravotv.com .





  [april 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· PROJECT RUNWAY (FREEFORM)
· TOP CHEF (BRAVO)





[09/25/26 - 11:01 AM]
"Family Guy" Hulu Exclusive Halloween Special Premieres October 5 on Hulu
Brian and Stewie find themselves in Hell - not an annoying day, the actual underworld - paying for 24 seasons' worth of bad behavior.

[09/25/26 - 10:35 AM]
ESPN Delivered Its Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Ever!
Across 29 games, the WNBA on ESPN networks averaged 1.37M viewers, up 17% year-over-year and ranking as ESPN networks' most-viewed WNBA regular season on record.

[09/25/26 - 10:02 AM]
Season Two of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Hit Microdrama Series "Who Billionaire? Me Billionaire." Premieres This Sunday, Sept. 27
The vertical comedy series is the first microdrama produced by a late-night television franchise, with its first season generating 27 million digital views.

[09/25/26 - 09:19 AM]
Volpi Cup Winner and Emmy & Golden Globe Nominee Peter Sarsgaard Joins Scottish Highland Drama "Laird" for Paramount+
Sarsgaard will star as Peter Bergstrom, a ruthless, self-made tech titan and land magnate whose influence spans continents.

[09/25/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Evil Dead Burn" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max October 2
The film unleashes the franchise's most savage and terrifying ride to date with an all-new chapter of carnage and demonic mayhem.

[09/25/26 - 07:04 AM]
Video: AMC+ Unveils Bewitching Trailer for the Highly Anticipated Contemporary Mystery Thriller, "Yaga"
The contemporary mystery thriller which reimagines the myth of Baba Yaga, is set for a two-episode premiere on Friday, October 23, exclusively in the U.S. on AMC+.

[09/25/26 - 07:00 AM]
Paramount and Spotify Partner for the "2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)" on CBS
The collaboration will extend the "VMAs" experience through a dedicated on-platform destination on Spotify, launching today.

[09/25/26 - 05:17 AM]
Video: "#Love" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A practical dating app founder and her adventurous competitor test their opposing theories about love through a 60-day challenge to find the right match.

[09/24/26 - 03:01 PM]
Video: "Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Once Japan's most renowned actor, Gen is suddenly forgotten. Fueled by a need for recognition, he claws his way back from zero in this comedy.

[09/24/26 - 02:02 PM]
Tubi Announces New Original Docuseries "Just One Before I Die" Offering an Inside Look at the Buffalo Bills Fanbase
All episodes premiere for free exclusively on Tubi on Wednesday, October 21.

[09/24/26 - 02:01 PM]
Prime Video Announces Worldwide Exclusive Streaming of "Quiz from God," a Reboot of the Phenomenal Korean Mystery Drama, Starring Shotaro Mamiya - Premiering Friday, Dec 4, 2026
The series follows Haruto Hatsushima, a genius forensic pathologist and former neurosurgeon hailed by those around him as "a genius chosen by God" - yet dismissed as being eccentric by his colleagues.

[09/24/26 - 12:25 PM]
ABC News Wins Across the Board in Late Night and Friday Night
"20/20" ranks as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, drawing its largest audience in two months and growing year to year in all key measures.

[09/24/26 - 12:01 PM]
"The Graham Norton Show" Returns with All-New Episodes Thursday, October 1 on BBC America
Episodes will also be available to stream on AMC+, Acorn TV, and All Reality.

[09/24/26 - 12:00 PM]
Presenters Announced for the "2026 Video Music Awards (VMAs)" Airing Sunday, Sept. 27 on CBS
Alex Warren, Belmont Cameli, Brandon Sklenar, Charli xcx, Ciara Miller, David Corenswet, Ella Bright, Isabel May, Jeff Probst, Rachel Dratch, Teyana Taylor, Troye Sivan, and Tyla are among the featured talent.

[09/24/26 - 11:29 AM]
Marquee Championship Doubleheader Leads UFC Return to Madison Square Garden Streaming on Paramount+ Saturday, November 14
In the main event, newly crowned undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane looks to make his first title defense against No. 4 ranked contender Josh Hokit.