America Online and United Artists Theatre Circuit Announce Multi-Year Strategic Alliance.NEW YORK New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 23, 1999-- UA is First Theater Chain to Become a Premiere Tenant on AOL (A division of Time Warner, Inc., New York, NY, www.aol.com) The world's largest online information service with access to the Internet, e-mail, chat rooms and a variety of databases and services. through AOL MovieFone, Increasing the Availability of Online Movie Information and Ticketing for Moviegoers America Online See AOL. , Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : AOL), the world's leading interactive services company, and United Artists Theatre Circuit, one of the nation's largest theater chains, today announced an agreement designed to improve the information and transaction customer experience for moviegoers nationwide. The alliance expands moviegoers' ability to get information and tickets for United Artists Theaters nationwide through the AOL brands (the flagship AOL service, AOL.COM, Netscape, CompuServe, ICQ ("I Seek You") A conferencing program for the Internet from Mirabilis, Tel Aviv, Israel (www.icq.com). It provides interactive chat, e-mail and file transfer and can alert you when someone on your predefined list has also come online. , Digital City, and Spinner) which now reach over 80% of the online audience. United Artists will have premier positioning on AOL through AOL MovieFone, the nation's largest movie listing guide and ticketing service. This is the first theater chain alliance announced by AOL since acquiring MovieFone in May of this year. The alliance demonstrates AOL's commitment to providing its 19 million members, the 20% of all moviegoers who use AOL MovieFone on the phone and the Web, and the millions more who use AOL's Web-based brands, with easy and convenient access to movie listings and tickets. The alliance is expected to have a powerful economic and strategic impact on United Artists' business, providing an efficient means of reaching the largest group of moviegoers in cyberspace Coined by William Gibson in his 1984 novel "Neuromancer," it is a futuristic computer network that people use by plugging their minds into it! The term now refers to the Internet or to the online or digital world in general. See Internet and virtual reality. Contrast with meatspace. . The successes of online promotions for films like Austin Powers -- The Spy Who Shagged shag 1 n. 1. A tangle or mass, especially of rough matted hair. 2. a. A coarse long nap, as on a woolen cloth. b. Cloth having such a nap. 3. A rug with a thick rough pile. Me and The Blair Witch Project have demonstrated that moviegoers are increasingly turning to the Web to plan movie outings. AOL's brands, 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. Media Metrix, now reach 80.5% of the online audience, and 1 in every 5 moviegoers uses AOL MovieFone each week on the phone or online, making AOL an effective way for theater chains to connect with moviegoers online. Through its alliance with AOL, United Artists expects to yield significant revenue and savings through online and offline marketing, Web-based promotions, equipment and extensive technological innovations, and the ability to benefit from the AOL and AOL MovieFone infrastructure. "We are very excited about our new alliance with AOL. This strategic relationship provides us with a very powerful and unique set of tools to market our theatres, sell our tickets, and provide showtime information to our patrons. Their tremendous reach, expertise, and resources are unparalleled," said Kurt Hall, Chief Executive Officer of United Artists Theatre Company. "Just having a Web site isn't enough in the crowded Internet space. Having our theatres and Web site promoted through a medium as powerful as AOL really sets us apart in the increasingly competitive theatre exhibition marketplace." He continued, "The biggest winners will be our customers, as we will be improving our level of service and the overall moviegoing experience." According to Hall, there were several factors that drew United Artists to AOL: "First, AOL brings the biggest audience in cyberspace, an audience that is a very favorable one for our business. Second, they offer an existing infrastructure and the only end-to-end logistical solution with a proven track record for this critical application. Third, the AOL and AOL MovieFone brands are recognized by our customers and are of the highest quality. Fourth, AOL provides us with the box office ticketing systems that seamlessly connect to AOL MovieFone's national backbone for ticketing, which in turn gives us the ability to offer tickets and showtime and other information to consumers through all AOL brands. Finally, this online reach is augmented by \AOL MovieFone's unique ability to provide ticketing and information services See Information Systems. through the telephone via their 777-FILM service." According to Andrew R. Jarecki, Chief Executive Officer of AOL MovieFone, "We are thrilled to be expanding our relationship with United Artists, which has for years been a great partner for MovieFone. By striking alliances with key players in the motion picture business, we can improve our members' experience, while creating great economies for the industry." The alliance provides for the following: -- AOL MovieFone will provide United Artists with a premier position on AOL MovieFone and all of the brands that carry AOL MovieFone -- the flagship AOL service, AOL.COM, Netscape, CompuServe, ICQ and Spinner -- giving a highly visible position with moviegoers. -- AOL MovieFone will be the exclusive provider of advance ticket sales for United Artists Theatres via the phone, the Web, and new technologies, and will provide remote ticketing for United Artists screens in all major markets. The companies will also continue to roll out reserved seating at select United Artists theaters, a service that has been successfully tested at other United Artists theaters in the past year. -- AOL will provide United Artists with an end-to-end technology solution, seamlessly integrating its box office systems through the AOL MovieFone national backbone for ticketing. This will allow consumers to access tickets and information through all the AOL brands, as well as through other new devices that feature AOL and MovieFone, such as the Palm Pilot. -- AOL MovieFone will upgrade United Artists' existing web site and host and maintain a state-of-the-art Web service for United Artists, www.uatc.com (1) (Computer Output Microfilm) Creating microfilm or microfiche from the computer. A COM machine receives print-image output from the computer either online or via tape or disk and creates a film image of each page. , utilizing the technical power and marketing strength of AOL MovieFone and AOL. The site will include showtimes and real-time ticketing through Moviefone.com, and will be hosted and supported by AOL. -- AOL will provide United Artists with the exclusive AOL Keyword: "United Artists," giving AOL members easy and direct access to United Artists online information and ticketing and increasing their online audience and usage. -- In addition to this extensive online presence, AOL MovieFone will provide the same services through the telephone via the popular 777-FILM service. -- United Artists will distribute AOL 5.0 disks to patrons at 300 locations with more than 2000 screens in 24 states serving nearly 90 million customers annually. -- AOL will have the ability to integrate marketing programs across the UA chain of theaters through onscreen on·screen or on-screen adj. & adv. 1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen. 2. Within public view; in public. presence. The ability to create a package combining the AOL family of online brands, the offline presence of MovieFone, and the onscreen opportunity in UA Theaters will provide for compelling and unique marketing executions. -- AOL will implement special promotions designed to drive movie attendance at United Artists theaters, particularly on off-peak moviegoing days, and to increase their concession sales. -- AOL MovieFone and United Artists will work together to create promotional programs like selling United Artists gift certificates through the Shop@AOL online shopping destination. About United Artists Theatre Circuit Founded in the 1920's, United Artists is now one of the largest operators of motion picture theatres in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. with 2069 screens at 300 locations. United Artists operates theatres in 24 states and serves nearly 90 million customers annually. Its operations are focused in 8 of the top 10 US cities and also include smaller markets. United Artists, a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. , is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado Englewood is a city in Arapahoe County, Colorado, USA. As of 2005, the city is estimated to have a total population of 32,350.[5] It is part of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area. , with operating offices in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . About America Online, Inc. Founded in 1985, America Online, Inc., based in Dulles, Virginia Dulles, Virginia is an unincorporated census-designated place located in Loudoun County, Virginia, part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. The headquarters of AOL, Orbital Sciences Corporation and ODIN technologies and the former headquarters of MCI Inc. are located in Dulles. , is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies, and e-commerce services. America Online, Inc. operates: two worldwide Internet services, America Online, with more than 19 million members, and CompuServe, with approximately 2 million members; several leading Internet brands including ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger See AIM. and Digital City, Inc.; the Netscape Netcenter and AOL.COM portals; the Netscape Navigator An earlier Web browser for Windows, Macintosh and X Windows from Netscape that provided secure transmission over the Internet. Soon after its introduction in 1994, Navigator, or just "Netscape," as it was commonly called, quickly became the leading browser on the Web. and Communicator browsers; AOL MovieFone, the nation's No. 1 movie listing guide and ticketing service; and Spinner Networks and NullSoft, Inc., leaders in Internet music and Digital Marketing Services (DMS (1) (Document Management System) See document management. (2) (Defense Messaging System) An X.500-compliant messaging system developed by the U.S. Dept. of Defense. ) the leader in online incentive marketing programs and online custom market research. Through its strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA[3]) is an American vendor of computers, computer components, computer software, and information-technology services, founded on 24 February 1982. , the company develops and offers easy-to-deploy, end-to-end e-commerce and enterprise solutions for companies operating in the Net Economy. |
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