Sony Computer Entertainment America Connects With Football Fans Via Partnership With NFL Experience On Tour

Continuing its broad-based consumer marketing efforts, Sony Computer Entertainment America announced today a comprehensive partnership with the NFL Experience On Tour, targeting 25 cities across America, beginning with its debut today in St. Louis, and culminating February 18, 2001 in Oklahoma City. The touring NFL family festival is a component of Sony Computer Entertainment America's innovative marketing program to support both the highly-anticipated PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system launch and the best-selling PlayStation® game console, bringing the PlayStation experience to an ever-expanding demographic base.

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Recreating the excitement of a NFL game day in a family-friendly festival environment, the tour will include more than 30 interactive PlayStation kiosks, allowing 60 participants at a time to enjoy yet-to-be-released PlayStation and PlayStation 2 game titles. NFL Experience On Tour is promoting the event's arrival in each city through a six-week, six-figure media buy with pre-event promotions, advertising and publicity with national sponsor Sony Computer Entertainment America, a major participant in the comprehensive outreach.

"The NFL Experience On Tour provides a great avenue for us to reach new and existing PlayStation fans," said Sharon Shapiro, director, promotions, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. "This unique sponsorship fits in perfectly with our progressive marketing program to support our gaming platforms, while also allowing fans to experience a taste of our innovative title offerings, including key football franchises NFL GameDay™ 2001 and NCAA® GameBreaker™ 2001."

Bringing the excitement and action of the National Football League to families across the country, the NFL Experience On Tour captures the spectacle and energy of game day. The $5 million touring NFL family festival features: interactive challenges, current and former player appearances and clinics, multimedia depictions of the excitement of game day; interpretive stories and exciting moments in NFL history, as well as food, souvenirs and live entertainment. Fans who attend the NFL Experience On Tour can test their skills in a variety of football attractions in which they can run, throw, punt, kick and pass, just like the pros.

The NFL Experience On Tour sponsorship is but a single facet of a continuous PlayStation branding effort aimed at creating trial and awareness at key events attended by the target PlayStation audience including the PlayStation NFL Players Party, The Gravity Games, The Hard Rock Cafe Rockfest, the WARPED tour, MLB Fan Fest 2000 and Vans Triple Crown™ series. Additionally, the newly remodeled 68-foot PlayStation touring truck will make appearances across the country, allowing consumers hands-on trial for hot titles for both PlayStation and the forthcoming PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

  The NFL Experience On Tour schedule is as follows:

   Dates                              City
   Aug. 31-Sept. 3                    St. Louis, MO
   Sept. 7-10                         Chicago, IL
   Sept. 14-17                        Indianapolis, IN
   Sept. 21-24                        Detroit, MI
   Sept. 28-Oct. 1                    Pittsburgh, PA
   Oct. 5-8                           Rochester, NY
   Oct. 12-15                         New England/Boston, MA
   Oct. 19-22                         New Jersey
   Oct. 26-29                         Queens/Long Island, NY
   Nov. 2-5                           Philadelphia, PA
   Nov. 9-12                          Baltimore, MD
   Nov. 16-19                         Washington, DC
   Nov. 23-26                         Charlotte, NC
   Nov. 30-Dec. 3                     TBD, South Carolina
   Dec. 7-10                          Greensboro, NC
   Dec. 14-17                         Atlanta, GA
   Dec. 21-24                         Nashville, TN
   Dec. 28-31                         Birmingham, AL
   Jan. 4-7, 2001                     Dallas, TX
   Jan. 11-14                         Dallas, TX
   Jan. 18-21                         San Antonio, TX
   Jan. 25-28                         Houston, TX
   Feb. 1-4                           Houston, TX
   Feb. 8-11                          Austin, TX
   Feb. 15-18                         Oklahoma City, OK

   * Route and venues are subject to change

Partnering with the NFL in this ambitious family festival are On Tour, LLC, a venture of Super Entertainment Group, and renowned sports agent Leigh Steinberg. On Tour's team of knowledgeable touring professionals will manage all aspects of the event from marketing to touring operations.

989 Sports is the sports software brand of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Known for its top-selling sports franchise titles such as NFL GameDay™, MLB™, NBA ShootOut, NHL FaceOff™, NCAA® Final Four® and NCAA® GameBreaker™, 989 Sports is committed to developing authentic and innovative sports games to appeal to both the professional athlete and hard-core sports videogame fan.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® game console and the upcoming PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is set to revolutionize the home entertainment market, offering the most compelling interactive content and the capability to be used as a network terminal in the coming broadband era.

Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation game console and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PlayStation game console and the upcoming PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

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SOURCE: Sony Computer Entertainment America

Contact: Christy Fritts of Sony Computer Entertainment America, 858-824-
5825, or christy_fritts@playstation.sony.com; or Chris Overholser of Fleishman
Hillard, 213-489-8239, or overholc@fleishman.com, for Sony Computer
Entertainment America

Website: http://www.playstation.com/