HBO(R) CONNECT, A DEDICATED SOCIAL MEDIA CURATION SITE, CAPTURES THE BUZZ AROUND POPULAR HBO(R) PROGRAMMING

Social TV Destination Deepens Fan Engagement With Favorite HBO Shows and Cast Members, Hosting Live Chats with Talent Like Wendell Pierce (Treme(R)), Thomas Jane (Hung(R)) and Bryan Greenberg (How to Make It In America(R))

New York, N.Y., May 25, 2011 - Fueled by the popularity of tweet-worthy HBO original programming and the unmatched enthusiasm seen on social sites dedicated to shows like Game of Thrones(R), True Blood(R), and Entourage(R), Home Box Office has launched HBO CONNECT, a cutting-edge, "second screen" experience at www.hbo.com/connect. Providing devoted fans with a unique, virtual "water cooler" destination, HBO CONNECT is the one-stop social TV site for all things HBO. Innovative and user-friendly, HBO CONNECT allows fans to join the conversation with like-minded followers and create fresh relationships while deepening ties to their favorite HBO programs, stars and more.

True Blood fans will be the first to get a real taste for what HBO CONNECT has to offer with the debut of TBwithdrawal.com, a special section on the site that is devoted to the series' 4th season tease campaign. TBwithdrawal.com will give fans a place to feed their addiction while waiting for the show's premiere on June 26 by displaying popular True Blood-related hashtags like #tbwithdrawal and #waitingsucks in an interactive, real-time format.

By simply logging in with their Facebook and Twitter accounts, fans can access all of the features on HBO CONNECT including:

PULSE

By pulling in the volume of clicks occurring on HBO-related content shared via bit.ly (a popular link-shortening service), this home page lets users discover the most popular HBO content being shared on the web in real-time.

FEED

This show-specific feed deepens fan connections to their favorite series such as Game of Thrones by aggregating all social media content related to the series in one place. Fans can filter through Twitter lists, sort by customized trending topics and engage with fellow fans right from this page.

CONVERSATIONS

This section enables fans to connect with favorite HBO stars and behind-the-scenes talent through Live Q&A's as well as experience Live Twitter Commentaries. A true "second-screen" experience, Live Twitter Commentaries will be timed with replays of popular HBO programming where an actor, writer or director will provide exclusive insight into the making of the show during broadcasts. All conversations will be archived for re-watching later.

This summer HBO Connect will host Conversations with HBO talent following episode premieres, film debuts and more. Among those scheduled to participate are actors Wendell Pierce (Treme), Thomas Jane (Hung(R)), Bryan Greenberg (How to Make It In America) Janina Gavankar (True Blood), writers Jane Espenson (Game of Thrones) and Jonathan Ames (Bored to Death(R)), documentarian Alexandra Pelosi (Citizen U.S.A.) and more.

VISUALIZERS

This interactive Twitter-fueled experience displays what fans are buzzing about as it relates to a specific show. It also allows users to move trending topics around the screen with the flick of the mouse and respond to tweets as they are displayed in real-time.

CONNECTIONS

This page provides an at-a-glance directory showcasing the various ways users can "connect" to HBO programming. The Connections section places all HBO-run Facebook pages, Twitter profiles, YouTube channels, and blogs in one convenient place.

Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., providing the two pay television services - HBO(R) and Cinemax(R) - to approximately 85 million subscribers worldwide. The services offer the most popular subscription video-on-demand products, HBO On Demand(R) and Cinemax On Demand(R) as well as HBO GO(R) and MAX GO(R), HD feeds and multiplex channels. Internationally, HBO branded television networks, along with the subscription video-on-demand products HBO On Demand and HBO GO, bring HBO services to over 60 countries. HBO programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide.