Current to Launch TV Channel on Sky Digital in UK and Ireland.

Agreement with BSkyB, Europe's Largest Pay TV Operator, Opens Door for Current to Reach First International Markets and Additional 8 Million Households

LONDON -- Current has signed an agreement with British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) to launch a localized version of its pioneering, viewer-created TV channel in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, it was announced jointly today by Current Chairman Al Gore and BSkyB CEO James Murdoch. The agreement provides Current's first presence outside the U.S. and marks a significant step in fulfilling its plans of becoming an international media company, while for BSkyB it represents a first step in a strategy to develop a broader presence in the fast-growing field of user-generated content.

Current TV is the first TV network created by, for, and with a young adult audience, enlisting its audience as creative partners. To tailor its output to the local audience, Current plans to deliver a channel specifically designed for the British and Irish markets. Viewer producers from the UK and Ireland will be able to submit their video segments via Current's website and, if their work is selected for broadcast, they will also have a chance to have their pieces air on Current's U.S. network and in other markets into which Current will expand in the future.

Since its launch in August 2005, Current TV has been a pioneer in the world of user-generated content, with its "viewer created content," or VC2, programming model. Rather than a traditional network with primetime shows and "appointment television," Current offers short-form, nonfiction programming, called "pods," which are only a few minutes long and which explore the issues of interest to young adults, including technology, fashion, music and videogames, the environment, relationships, spirituality, politics, finance, and parenting. In the U.S., approximately 30% of the network's content is created by viewers.

The agreement will allow Current TV to reach up to 22 million more viewers in 8.2 million households subscribing to BSkyB's Sky digital service, equivalent to almost one in three households in the UK and Ireland. Over the past year Current has achieved explosive growth, expanding its U.S. carriage by 70%, from 17 million to nearly 30 million homes.

"We are grateful to be working with BSkyB in our first international venture. This is a big step in fulfilling Current's mission of sparking a global conversation among young adults," stated Gore. "Bringing our viewer-created content model to the UK and Ireland will give millions of young viewers the opportunity to not only watch but also to create television programming that is relevant to them. We're excited about being able to unleash the creativity of young people in the UK and Ireland, enabling them to share their stories with their generational cohort here and around the world."

"Current TV is bringing the web's sense of empowerment to television for the first time. It has a uniquely collaborative approach to working with viewer producers that stands out among other platforms for user-generated video," stated Murdoch. "As a first step towards Sky's own moves in this fascinating field, we're pleased to help give a voice to millions of young people throughout the UK and Ireland."