News
CBS Creates Exclusive Programming in Partnership With AutoNetTV™
CBS Creates “Rev It Up!” Brand and Entertainment Programming Exclusively for the AutoNetTV Nationwide Automotive Waiting-Room Network
AMERICAN FORK — July 25, 2006 — AutoNetTV™ announced today an agreement with CBS in which America’s Number One television network will provide custom programming for the waiting rooms of automotive service centers throughout North America. The “Rev It Up!” brand and content will air exclusively on the AutoNetTV network for customers who wait for their vehicle to be serviced.
The agreement signifies a first-ever partnership with a national television network to create customized automotive programming for the AutoNetTV in-store network. The CBS partnership reinforces AutoNetTV’s leadership for in-store educational programming in the automotive aftermarket. AutoNetTV will continue to produce its own custom reporting segments, focused on helping the nearly 200 million licensed drivers learn how to improve their vehicles’ performance and ensure warranty protection.
The CBS content will include branded segments from CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports, as well as from the diverse array of properties offered by CBS Paramount Television and King World. These spots will feature programs and personalities in brief segments designed for customers who seek a distraction to help the wait time pass more quickly. The AutoNetTV network provides CBS and advertisers a venue in which viewers have none of the distractions of home, wait for an average of one hour, and are watching during the business day.
“This latest partnership with AutoNetTV is a great example of how CBS is finding innovative ways to reach viewers outside their homes and in their daily lives,” commented George Schweitzer, President of the CBS Marketing Group. “Now, while you wait to have your car serviced, CBS will be there to entertain you with original content and previews from our primetime shows.”
“Our partnership with CBS validates the quality of both the AutoNetTV programming content and the terrific waiting-room environment for communicating directly with consumers,” said Sean Whiffen, Co-Founder of AutoNetTV. “The entertaining CBS “Rev It Up!” content combines perfectly with the informative AutoNetTV programming to provide an unbeatable experience for automotive centers and their customers, and a perfect association for advertisers. With the advent of so many complex options for personal entertainment, AutoNetTV offers a terrific solution that simply solves the dilemma of reaching today’s busy consumers. Every adult in the country knows and trusts the CBS brand, and this trust significantly aids the credibility already established by AutoNetTV’s team of reporters.”
National studies have shown that 9 out of 10 vehicles have at least one maintenance or repair item that has not been performed, generally due to lack of education or a lack of trust in the source of information. The AutoNetTV program empowers vehicle owners to make informed decisions that will ensure their safety and protect their automotive investment. Many of the nation’s largest automotive brands have implemented, or are testing, the AutoNetTV program to obtain the benefits from having a more informed customer base. These automotive brands, along with other national advertisers of multiple products and services, are provided the opportunity to reinforce their messages to a captive audience with the engaging power of television programming.
About CBS
CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and UPN), cable television (Showtime and CSTV Networks), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Paramount Television and King World), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), digital media (CBS Digital Media Group and CSTV Networks) and consumer products (CBS Consumer Products). In Fall 2006, UPN will cease operations and The CW, a new fifth broadcast television network, will launch as a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation. For more information, log on to www.cbscorporation.com.
About AutoNetTV
AutoNetTV is the pioneer of automotive television programming for customers in the waiting areas of service centers. Service centers throughout the U.S. receive this custom programming to educate customers on their factory scheduled and preventative maintenance needs, and to improve their waiting experience. AutoNetTV combines fast-paced entertainment with independent editorial content to increase customer satisfaction and preventative maintenance services. The approximately one-hour long program provides multiple long-form and other integrated opportunities for advertisers to convey their messages in a content-relevant format. AutoNetTV also provides a secondary programming channel, called the Pro Channel, which airs before and after store hours at participating service centers. This program provides business and marketing insights, technical training, and industry-specific product messages devoted to the professionals working in the automotive aftermarket. For more information go to www.AutoNetTV.com.
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