"Talk Back to the View" Month On ABC Daytime's "The View" Enables Viewers to Interact With the Show Live Via Enhanced TV.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 31, 2001

Official Contest Gives One Lucky Viewer a Chance to Sit at the

Table with the Hosts

February is "Talk Back To The View" month on "The View," as ABC Daytime and the Walt Disney Internet Group (NYSE:DIG) provide Enhanced TV programming for the popular morning talk and entertainment show. Beginning on February 5 and continuing through February 28, Monday-Friday, (11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, ET), viewers can interact live, throughout the hour, with hosts Barbara Walters, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Joy Behar, Lisa Ling and their guests. The Enhanced TV programming, sponsored by Pfizer, will be accessible via ABC.com and will enable viewers to answer real-time interactive survey questions and polls asked by the hosts and displayed instantly on the air.

"The View," now in its fourth season, features a team of five dynamic women of different ages, experiences and backgrounds discussing the most exciting events of the day. The program has received critical acclaim since premiering August 11, 1997. "The View" is the original forum where real women discuss relevant, everyday issues and share their daily, no-holds-barred opinions and lively, colorful conversations.

Angela Shapiro, president, ABC Daytime, said, "Allowing the audience to have a virtual seat at the table with Barbara, Meredith, Star, Joy and Lisa serves to enhance the unique chemistry that distinguishes `The View.'"

"Enhanced TV programming is a natural for `The View,'" said Jonathan Leess, senior vice president, general manager and executive producer of Walt Disney Internet Group & ABC Television's Enhanced TV division. "The dynamic personalities of the co-hosts and a show format that allows for viewer interaction translate into superb opportunities for real-time interactive programming that viewers and co-hosts can really enjoy."

The Enhanced TV Components will include:

-- Live Polls, asked directly by the co-hosts on the air, that cover elements
of the show's popular "Hot Topics" discussions and the "Question of the Day;"
the polls allow the viewers to participate instantly, with results being
displayed in real-time on the air;

-- A "Push Channel" of synchronized enhanced graphics, live polls and trivia
which automatically appears on the users' computer screens; information will
relate specifically to what is taking place on the TV show;

-- A Trivia Contest, in which Enhanced TV participants compete to answer
questions related to the program topics, guests, hosts, and advertisers; the
top 5 registered users on a real-time leaderboard from each time zone will
receive prizes.

"The View's" Official Show Sweepstakes

Beginning at noon February 5 and ending at noon February 22, "The View" offers viewers an additional and unique way to communicate with its official "Talk Back to `The `View'" contest. Viewers can submit a video tape of themselves auditioning for an exciting chance to sit at the show's trademark table and win the chance to dish with the co-hosts during "Segment 5." The grand prizewinner will appear live on "The View" February 28 (subject to rules and qualifications listed on the show's official website).

For the sixth consecutive week, "The View" has delivered over the million mark among women 18-49 and has beat "The Price is Right" among women 18-49 for the eighth consecutive week, having outperformed it by 29% for the week ending January 19, 2001. The show is also up 11% season-to-date over last year and 17% quarter to date.

For the week ending January 5, 2001, "The View" celebrated back-to back, record-breaking weeks, hitting its highest numbers in the show's history among women 18-49. "The View" delivered 1.3 million women (2.1/15), thereby outperforming its previous highest rated week (December 25-29, 2000).

"The View" has earned numerous Daytime Emmy Award nominations since its launch, including three consecutive nominations for Outstanding Daytime Talk Show and Outstanding Talk Show Host.

"The View" is produced by ABC Daytime and Barwall Productions Inc. with Bill Geddie and Barbara Walters serving as executive producers. Mr. Geddie also serves as executive producer for "The Barbara Walters Specials."

Walt Disney Internet Group & ABC Television's Enhanced TV programming is neither a television experience nor an Internet experience, but truly both at the same time -- the first step towards in-home convergence programming. Anyone with a personal computer, connected to the Internet via 28.8 modem or better, will have access to the Enhanced TV programming applications. It's accessible only during the telecast and designed to be complimentary to the telecast, so a computer and TV in the same room is ideal. Direct access to all ETV programming is available through http://heavy.etv.go.com/etvHome/.

Walt Disney Internet Group (NYSE:DIG) manages many of the most popular Web sites and services, including Disney.com, the number one Web site for kids and families; ESPN.com, the leading sports site; ABC.com, the leading broadcast network site; and ABCNEWS.com, one of the leading news sites. Additional properties include Family.com, Mr.Showbiz, Movies.com, Wall of Sound, DisneyAuctions.com, DisneyStore.com, DisneyVacations.com, Soccernet.com and NFL.com. Walt Disney Internet Group also produces Enhanced TV telecasts in conjunction with select ABC Television and ESPN programming and includes the catalog operations of The Walt Disney Company and 19 Disney-branded international properties. Steve Bornstein is the chairman of Walt Disney Internet Group, which is headquartered in North Hollywood, CA, and has operations in Bristol, CT; Seattle; New York; and London.