ALWAYSi Introduces 'Unlimited Cinema' Subscription Service for Online Independent Films.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 2001 Company Applies Premium Cable Model to Online Film Library; Offers Filmmakers Online Revenue Opportunities ALWAYSi, the leading online independent entertainment company, today announced the upcoming launch of its "Unlimited Cinema" service, the industry's first paid subscription service. This new service will take the proven premium cable model and apply it the Internet to create a path towards profitability for ALWAYSi and an online revenue stream for filmmakers. The company will offer a sneak peek during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah Park City is a city located in Summit County, Utah, United States. It is one of two major resort towns in Utah, the other being Moab. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back and a part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. from Jan. 18-22, 2001. ALWAYSi will be available at the Microsoft Booth in the Digital Lounge at Harry O's (427 Main St). ALWAYSi's "Unlimited Cinema" will offer subscribers thousands of short and feature-length films in all genres with new films added every day. Subscriptions will also include ALWAYSi premium services, such as: -- Personalized movie recommendations -- Cutting-edge movie matching services -- Community features -- Online film premieres -- Exclusives -- Celebrity interviews -- ALWAYSi online film festivals ALWAYSi's "Unlimited Cinema" will be offered under separate pricing plans for broadband and narrowband users with a free 30-day, no-obligation trial. Pricing for a 12-month subscription will start at $4.99 per month. A special Charter Membership is also available for customers who sign up now at www.alwaysi.com. "Most industry analysts and insiders agree that paid-for subscription services will be the future of high-quality content on the Internet. Without the support of the consumers who love films, online film exhibition will die," said Howard Rosenberg Howard Rosenberg is a retired TV critic for the Los Angeles Times. He worked there for 25 years and won a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. In recent years he has produced the anthology Not So Prime Time: Chasing the Trivial on American Television , CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of ALWAYSi. "According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the recent 'Paid Content' report by Jupiter Communications, more than four in 10 consumers acknowledge that content can't remain free forever. This increasing receptiveness and the continuing evolution of broadband will drive the paid content market to $5.7 billion by 2005. We're taking a leadership role in our industry in trying to make online film exhibition a viable business." "ALWAYSi is now adding a box office to the online Cineplex we have operated for the past 2 years," said Gary Zeidenstein, co-founder and vice president of content at ALWAYSi. "We believe that 'Unlimited Cinema' offers filmmakers the added incentive they need to choose the Internet as a distribution channel by providing them a truly sustainable revenue source." About ALWAYSi ALWAYSi is a network for independent filmmakers, movie lovers, and the industry. The company exhibits the work of independent filmmakers through its online destination and syndication partners as well as traditional offline avenues. The Web site hosts a broad range of streaming entertainment in a variety of film genres, from classics to animation and short films. ALWAYSi was formed in 1998 and is headquartered in San Francisco. ALWAYSi has content partnerships with Yahoo! (YHOO YHOO Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ symbol) ), Excite@Home (ATHM ATHM Excite@Home (NASDAQ symbol) ATHM Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine ATHM American Textile History Museum (Lowell, MA) ), Real Networks (RNWK RNWK Real Networks (stock symbol) ) and Microsoft MSN (1) (MicroSoft Network) A family of Internet-based services from Microsoft, which includes a search engine, e-mail (Hotmail), instant messaging (Windows Live Messaging) and a general-purpose portal with news, information and shopping (MSN Directory). Properties (MSFT MSFT Microsoft (stock symbol) MSFT Movimento Sociale Fiamma Tricolore (Italy) MSFT Multi-Stage Fitness Test MSFT Master of Science in Family Therapy MSFT Macalester Students for Fair Trade ). The company can be found online at www.alwaysi.com. |
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