FORD MOTOR COMPANY, COCA-COLA AND AT&T RETURN AS OFFICIAL SPONSORS OF THE 12TH SEASON OF "AMERICAN IDOL"

Two-Night Season Premiere Begins Tonight on FOX

Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX); 19 Entertainment Ltd., a division of Core Media Group; and FremantleMedia North America today announced that Ford Motor Company, Coca-Cola and AT&T will return as official sponsors for the 12th season of AMERICAN IDOL.

Hosted by Ryan Seacrest and featuring judges Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, AMERICAN IDOL kicks off its 12th season with a two-night premiere event airing tonight (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Thursday, Jan. 17 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Ford returns as the official automotive sponsor of AMERICAN IDOL. As a leading partner since the show's debut in 2002, Ford will continue to engage AMERICAN IDOL fans with unique and exclusive content throughout the upcoming season. Once again, Ford vehicles and the AMERICAN IDOL finalists will be featured in weekly Thursday night segments. This original content, along with other exclusive Ford content featuring the finalists, will also be available on www.americanidol.com. In addition, Ford will launch an all-new online promotion, offering fans a chance to win an AMERICAN IDOL prize package. More details will be announced shortly.

AMERICAN IDOL will continue to serve as a key platform for a variety of Ford vehicles and will award a brand-new vehicle to both the runner-up and Season 12 winner.

For the 12th season of AMERICAN IDOL, Coca-Cola is bringing back the popular Perfect Harmony program for its third edition. This year, as part of the program, they are giving fans, including teens, the opportunity to once again help an award-winning artist not only write a hit song, but also help mold and shape various aspects of his/her AMERICAN IDOL finale performance.

Throughout the AMERICAN IDOL season, consumers redeeming Coca-Cola My Coke Rewards packaging codes at mycokerewards.com have a chance to instantly win prizes, such as the new Coca-Cola AMERICAN IDOL(R) cup and trips to the show's finale. Other activities designed to enhance the AMERICAN IDOL experience will be featured in a variety of retail outlets across the country. In addition, Coca-Cola will share exclusive behind-the-scenes content online at www.americanidol.com, providing fans with an inside look at the contestant experience.

AT&T returns for its 11th season as the official wireless sponsor of AMERICAN IDOL, empowering fans to interact with the show in new and exciting ways. For the first time in IDOL history, AT&T is giving fans the chance to directly influence elements of the show, using the latest in wireless technology. In addition to exclusive unlimited text-voting during the voting window after each performance show, AT&T customers will have the option to share their choice(s) with friends using social media. AT&T customers continue to get unique access to their favorite IDOL moments and exclusive content through the AT&T mobile site. This year, AT&T plans to bring unparalleled access, interactive contests and viewer interactions that will put AT&T customers and IDOL super-fans in the center of the action (Messaging and/or data rates apply).

AMERICAN IDOL is produced by 19 Entertainment, a division of Core Media Group, and FremantleMedia North America. The series is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, CEO, XIX Entertainment. Cecile Frot-Coutaz, FremantleMedia, Trish Kinane, FremantleMedia North America; Ken Warwick, FremantleMedia North America; and Nigel Lythgoe, CEO, Nigel Lythgoe Productions also serve as executive producers. "Like" AMERICAN IDOL on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanIdol. Follow the series on Twitter @AmericanIdol and join the discussion at #idol.

About FremantleMedia North America

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, CA, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon AMERICAN IDOL (FOX), THE X FACTOR (FOX), "America's Got Talent" (NBC), "The Price Is Right" (CBS), "Let's Make A Deal" (CBS), "Family Feud" (SYN), "Total Blackout" (Syfy), "Wedding Band" (TBS), "The Pet Collective" (YouTube) and two upcoming series, "Perfect Score" (The CW) and "Married to Medicine" (Bravo).

About 19 Entertainment/CORE Media Group, Inc.

19 Entertainment is a division of CORE Media Group. Home to legendary icons like Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali to enduring properties of the future like AMERICAN IDOL and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, CORE Media Group, Inc. was launched in May 2012, as a newly-branded version of the company formerly known as CKx. CORE Media Group's portfolio of world-class brands and properties reaches across virtually every aspect of the entertainment industry. 19 Entertainment's recording and management groups have relationships with some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Scotty McCreery, Jordin Sparks and Haley Reinhart. For more information about CORE Media Group, Inc. and 19 Entertainment, visit www.coremediagroup.com.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, MI, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 172,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit corporate.ford.com.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 15 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or check out our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse(R) and AT&T �DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at www.att.com. This news release and other announcements are available at www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

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