Showtime Networks Enters Sponsorship With Richie Hearn Motorsports and Mazda Star Racing Series

Hearn Racing Car to Sport Showtime and American Candidate Logos

NEW YORK, July 26 -- Showtime Networks Inc., a leading provider of premium television, has entered into an agreement with Richie Hearn Motorsports to sponsor his racing team in the Star Mazda Racing Series. Through this sponsorship, which kicks off July 30 and runs through September 15, 2004, the Hearn Racing Team car will sport logos for both SHOWTIME and its upcoming reality series AMERICAN CANDIDATE, which will start airing on the network on August 1. It is estimated that this sponsorship will generate approximately 800,000 impressions from race car fans on and off track.

As part of this agreement, about 700 Mazda dealerships nationwide will have point of sale displays featuring the Hearn car and the SHOWTIME Finish Line Sweepstakes in which one lucky winner will win a Mazda RX-8 car. The RX-8 is powered by the very same RENESIS rotary engine (named International Engine of the Year 2003) that powers Richie Hearn's Star Mazda race car. In addition to the RX-8, the winner will be flown to Hollywood, courtesy of Orbitz, to witness the filming of American Candidate's Great Debate.

SHOWTIME will support the sweepstakes via on-air spots. Additionally, discount coupons for new SHOWTIME subscribers will be distributed to an estimated several hundred thousand customers who enter into a Mazda dealership during the promotional period.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom Inc., owns the premium television networks SHOWTIME(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) and FLIX(R), as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME(R) TOO(TM), SHOWTIME(R) SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME(R), SHOWTIME BEYOND(R), SHOWTIME NEXT(R), SHOWTIME WOMEN(R), SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE(R) and TMC xtra. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD(R), SHOWTIME ON DEMAND(R) and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND(TM). SNI operates and manages the premium television network SUNDANCE CHANNEL(R), which is owned by SNI, Robert Redford and Universal Studios. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME(R) PPV. Additionally, the advertiser-supported television network SHOWTIME EXTREME(R) is available in Spain through a joint venture with Media Park and the advertiser-supported television network SHOWTIME is available in Turkey through a joint venture with UK-based Zone Vision.

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