Network Leverages Its Original Programming to Create Sponsorship Opportunity for Match.com
Initiative Includes Network Premiere of NEVER BEEN KISSED Starring Drew Barrymore
New York, NY – November 6, 2006 – WE tv, the only cable network dedicated to helping women connect to one another and the world around them, announced today that the network is leveraging its original programming to create an integrated marketing opportunity within its Cinematherapy series for Match.com, the world's number one dating and relationship company. The integrated marketing campaign was brokered by mediaHUB from Mullen, Match.com's media planning and buying agency. Today's announcement marks the sixth time Match.com has advertised on WE tv, with its first ad buy in August of 2004. This latest initiative falls in line with the network's overall ad sales strategy, which is to create branding opportunities for advertisers by leveraging its original programming slate, allotting for additional revenue streams.
"With WE tv's original programming slate, the network is able to leverage its series to not only create branding opportunities for advertisers but also to generate additional revenue streams for the network," said Arlene Manos, President of Rainbow National Network Advertising Sales. "Match.com's latest ad buy reinforces WE tv's value of providing sponsorship packages that make sense for advertisers looking to target their brand to a wide ranging audience of women."
"For more than a decade, Match.com has been creating new romantic opportunities for single people and providing them with the tools and advice they need to find loving, lasting relationships," said Kristin Kelly, senior director of public relations for Match.com. "Our sponsorship with WE tv and its Cinematherapy original programming provides an effective and entertaining way for us to show consumers we understand about the complications of love and, most importantly, Match.com's commitment to making the search for love as simple as possible."
Cinematherapy is an original WE tv series that features Cinematherapist Chuck Nice as he conducts man on the street interviews that air around feature films on the network and in this case with the network premiere of Never Been Kissed (1999) starring Drew Barrymore. As a part of the sponsorship agreement, Match.com will receive product integration within Cinematherapy's as Nice speaks with single women about the challenges of dating. Match.com will also receive a custom vignette, giving viewers the top six tips for finding their match, branded banners, promotional spots and programming billboards. Online presence includes logo placement, website hyperlink on WE.tv, banner advertisement and insertion into the monthly newsletter distributed to all of WE tv's registered users.
This is Match.com's sixth sponsorship with WE tv. Past sponsorships included Single in the City: South Beach, 3 Men & A Chick Flick: Honeymoon in Vegas, Kiss and Tell, The Things WE Do For Love movie marathon, and 3 Men & A Chick Flick: Dirty Dancing. Cinematherapy has been airing on WE tv since 2002 and past sponsors have included Nestle's Lean Cuisine, Ocean Spray, Garnier Fructis, TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
NEVER BEEN KISSED (1999) is a comedy starring Drew Barrymore as Josie Geller, a young copy editor who works for the Chicago Sun-Times and is assigned to go undercover at a local high school for her first story. Josie's high school years were filled with cruelty from other students, and for her assignment, Josie must gain the trust of the high school heart-throb and the pretty, popular girls. There is an attraction between Josie, who has never been involved in a romantic relationship, and her young English teacher, complicated by the fact that Josie's teacher believes her to be a 17 year-old student, and Josie struggles with dating and meeting the right person.
WE's programming strategy, which includes a substantial increase in originals, helped increase overall network ratings by 16% from 2005 to 2006 and we have continued to sustain and grow our ratings in the 3Q 2006. Over 90% of the top 10 rated telecasts in 3Q06 were WE tv originals during Prime M-Su 8p-11p (Bridezillas & Vietnam Nurses)
**Source: Nielsen Media Research, WE tv Prime M-Su 8p-11p 3Q06 (6/26/06-9/24/06) vs 3Q05 (6/27/05-9/25/05), 3Q04 (6/28/04-9/26/04), 3Q03 (6/30/03-9/28/03), & 3Q02 (7/1/02-9/29/02); WE tv Prime M-Su 8p-11p 05/06 season (9/26/05-9/24/06) vs 04/05 season (9/27/04-9/25/05); WE tv Prime M-Su 8p-11p 2006 YTD 12/26/05-9/24/06 vs 2005 YTD (12/27/04-9/25/05).
About WE tv
WE tv is the only cable network dedicated to helping women connect to one another and the world around them. With quality original programming including the hit series "Bridezillas," unique movie packages like "Three Men and A Chick Flick," topical specials and its public affairs initiative WE Empowers Women, the network supports women and appeals to their interests in pop culture, relationships and personal style. WE tv is a subsidiary of Rainbow Entertainment Services and is currently seen in over 59 million homes.
About Match.com
Match.com pioneered online personals when it launched on the Web in 1995 and continues to lead this exciting and evolving category after a decade. Throughout its 10-year history, Match.com has redefined the way people meet and fall in love and is credited with more marriages than any other site. Today, more than 15 million people around the world participate in the Match.com community, providing a rich tapestry of ethnicities, interests, goals, ambitions, quirks, looks and personalities from which to choose.
Match.com is the world's biggest online dating and personals property, according to the global ranking of the Personals category by industry-leading independent measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. Number one across North America and Europe, Match.com operates leading subscription-based online dating sites in 31 countries, in 18 languages and spanning six continents. Match.com also powers online dating on MSN across Europe, Asia, the United States, Australia (NineMSN) and Latin America and is the premier provider of personals for Love@AOL.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media creates and manages some of the country's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands including popular national and regional television channels AMC, fuse, The Independent Film Channel (IFC), WE tv, and two FSN affiliated regional sports networks managed by Rainbow Sports Networks. The company also manages Mag Rack and sportskool, two original on-demand networks; VOOM HD Networks, the largest and most diverse suite of high definition channels available anywhere; IFC Entertainment, its film distribution, production and exhibition division; Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales division; and Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company.