Autobytel's CarTV Debuts

Company's Video Division Energizes Online Car-Buying Experience With Streaming Video Test Drives and Reviews, Late-Breaking Auto News, Crash Test Footage and Much More

Snides RemarksSo nice of Auto-by-tel to finaly offer car video's on the Internet...The Auto Channel has thousands of hours of auto oriented audio and video and has been streaming for over 9 years...better late than never Auto-by-tel.

IRVINE, Calif., May 9, 2005; Armed with a new state-of-the-art video player that supports near-broadcast quality video on virtually any PC, Autobytel's video production division, CarTV, is transforming online car buying from a silent, static process into a high-energy media experience. Now integrated throughout Autobytel's car buying web sites, CarTV's new lineup of automotive content includes streaming video test drives and reviews, late-breaking vehicle crash test footage, auto show coverage, step-by-step car care tips, and a weekly auto news report that provides in-market shoppers with timely, relevant market information.

"CarTV is adding an entirely new dimension to the Autobytel auto research and shopping experience," said Michael Rosenberg, senior vice president of marketing and media services. "So much more information can be communicated through video -- for example, how a six-foot adult fits into a back seat, how quietly a car accelerates, how a vehicle looks from all angles. CarTV is helping us empower our shoppers with the 'look and feel' factor that so often shapes car-buying decisions -- the details that can't be reduced to data points on a page."

CarTV has already produced a library of more than 350 special interest, auto news, test drive and car review videos which are smoothly integrated into the Autobytel research and shopping process. "If you're researching a Honda Accord, there's a link to a video test drive on the same page," notes Rosenberg. "The goal is to provide rich media content when and where consumers can use it most." According to Rosenberg, CarTV media will become even more strategic in the months ahead, for example enabling shoppers to view side-by-side videos of similar models during vehicle comparisons.

The new CarTV video player makes this diverse rich media easily accessible to the vast majority of Internet users, automatically adapting to provide quality viewing for various Internet browsers and Internet connection formats (broadband, dial-up, etc.). CarTV's video player and content are available at Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, CarSmart.com, Autosite.com, Car.com and the company's exclusive video channel, CarTV.com, impacting millions of online car shoppers each month.