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RCN Signs Deal With Showtime Networks for Premium Television Services; RCN Continues to Offer Showtime, The Movie Channel & Flix Including HDTV, SAP, Dolby Digital 5.1 & Video-0n-Demand

Posted on: Friday, 12 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

RCN Corporation (NASDAQ: RCNI), a leading provider of triple play cable, high-speed internet and phone services, today announced the execution of an affiliation agreement with Showtime Networks Inc. for its premium television services. Under the agreement, RCN will carry SHOWTIME, The Movie Channel and Flix, including high definition, SAP and Dolby digital 5.1 and video-on-demand programming.

"Showtime Networks' outstanding lineup of original series and movies as well as its theatrical films, boxing and special event programs are very popular with our customers," said RCN's Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer Timothy Dunne. "We're pleased to sign this agreement so we can continue providing our customers with access to Showtime Networks' varied services at a reasonable and consumer-friendly price."

Showtime Networks Executive Vice President Mark Greenberg said, "We're delighted to sign this agreement with RCN and believe that this is a winning proposition for both companies, and most importantly, for the consumer. Through this deal, SHOWTIME services enjoy greater exposure, and RCN is able to continue to offer its customers the programming that they want at a reasonable price."

Showtime Networks offers consumers a variety of programming including feature films and original programming. Greenberg said the RCN agreement dovetails with Showtime Networks' Big Digital plan, which encourages the network's distribution partners to offer a variety of Showtime Networks services at a consumer-friendly price.

The agreement includes the channels SHOWTIME, Showtime Too, Showtime Showcase, Showtime Beyond, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Women, Showtime Next, Showtime Family Zone, The Movie Channel, TMC Xtra, and Flix. Also included are Showtime HD and The Movie Channel HD, which will be available free to SHOWTIME and The Movie Channel subscribers as part of RCN's extensive line-up of HD programming. SHOWTIME subscribers will also receive SHOWTIME On Demand and The Movie Channel subscribers will receive TMC On Demand, together televising close to 200 hours of Hollywood movies and Showtime original programming, which is refreshed weekly.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About RCN Corporation

RCN Corporation, http://www.rcn.com, is one of the largest facilities-based competitive providers of bundled cable, high-speed internet and phone services delivered over its own fiber-optic local network to residential customers in the most densely populated markets in the U.S. RCN Business Solutions is a growing business that also provides bulk video, high-capacity and voice services to business customers. RCN provides service in the Boston, New York, Eastern Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles metropolitan markets. RCN also owns 49% of Megacable, one of the largest cable companies in Mexico.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom International 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(TM) Xtra. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD(R), SHOWTIME ON DEMAND(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND(TM) and FLIX ON DEMAND. SNI owns a thirty percent interest in SUNDANCE CHANNEL(R), which is a venture between NBC Universal, Robert Redford, and Showtime Networks Inc. 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 is available in Turkey through a joint venture with UK-based Zone Vision.

(RCNI-G)

Source: Business Wire

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