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New Philips Broadcast 'Digital Auction Network' to be Available Through Digibid LAS VEGAS, April
10, 2000 -- Philips Broadcast and Digibid, the online industry
auction unit of PRIMEDIA's (NYSE:PRM) IndustryClick, have formed a strategic
alliance whereby the two companies will jointly develop a Philips auction
site to sell Philips broadcast and professional video equipment using
Digibid technology. "Philips Broadcast's
choice of IndustryClick's Digibid is a cornerstone relationship on the
supply side, and provides an extraordinary opportunity for Digibid members
to reinforce our position in the marketplace," said Tim Andrews, president
and chief executive officer of IndustryClick. Jeff Rosica, vice
president and general manager, Philips Broadcast, North America said,
"The Philips Broadcast Digital Auction Network website is designed to
give our customers great deals on professional and broadcast video equipment
by bidding on overstocked, discontinued, demo and used gear." "Philips Broadcast
is continually looking for new methods to bring our products and system
solutions to our customers. We believe that business-to-business e-commerce,
especially in the area of auctions, is one of the newest, most innovative
sales methods available today. When searching for a possible strategic
alliance, we discovered that most of the companies focused on our industry
that we found on the web were still at the 'science fair' level. Only
one group currently stood out from the rest, and that was Digibid and
IndustryClick. Their technologies offer Philips, and our customers,
the ease and speed that we all look for when selling and buying on the
Internet," Rosica observed. "Our user base
is comprised of highly qualified professional equipment buyers who have
quickly grown to appreciate our Internet auction format," added Matt
Brosious, IndustryClick's vice president e-commerce. "We are delighted
to be joining Philips in building what will become the central on-line
marketplace for broadcast and production equipment. Philips brings state-of-the-art
digital video equipment to our growing membership. The site will provide
broadcasters, production companies and manufacturers with a great venue
for remarketing equipment backed by industry leaders," Brosious said.
As part of the
alliance, IndustryClick will create a web site at www.bid4philips.com,
which will provide on-line broadcast equipment shoppers with access
to industry deals on Philips Broadcast's innovative line of digital
technology products (www.broadcast.philips.com). The site will be "Powered
by Digibid." The pact also involves creation of a Philips Broadcast
category within the Digibid Auction Network (www.digibid.com) to provide
Digibid users with access to Philips Broadcast products. "Customers also
benefit from the backing of a multi-billion dollar international company
standing behind its products," Rosica noted. "Philips is extremely enthusiastic
about selling high-end gear in the on-line auction environment. It's
an augmentation of our direct sales force and an additional tool for
our customers," Rosica said. "We are very pleased to have Digibid as
our strategic partner in this exciting new venture." About PRIMEDIA
and IndustryClick's Digibid Founded in 1998,
Digibid (www.digibid.com)
is a real-time interactive auction site specializing in the sale of
professional audio and video production, post production and broadcast
gear, and high-end musical instruments. Digibid uses the Internet and
its innovative technologies to conduct auctions in a live, easy-to-negotiate,
business-to-business format, providing a guarantee to both buyers and
sellers. The unique money-back guarantee to buyers, the lack of hidden
reserves and the IndustryClick relationship makes Digibid the trusted
e-commerce leader in the entertainment technology. The site currently
serves 1.2 million page views and receives nearly 65,000 unique visitors
per month. IndustryClick(TM)
builds and operates business-to-business vertical online communities
for niche industries. The company's communities include TelecomClick(TM)
(www.telecomclick.com), MarketingClick(TM) (www.marketingclick.com),
Media Central (www.mediacentral.com), AgriClick(TM) (www.agriclick.com),
and Digibid(TM) (www.digibid.com). Formed in April 1999, IndustryClick
is based in Princeton, NJ and has offices in Kansas City, MO, Chicago
and Connecticut. About Philips Royal Philips Electronics
of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies
and Europe's largest, with sales of $33.5 billion (EUR 31.5 billion)
in 1999. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric
shavers, color picture tubes for televisions and monitors, and one-chip
TV products. Its 226,900 employees in more than 60 countries are active
in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances,
components, semiconductors, medical systems, and IT services (Origin).
Philips is quoted on the NYSE (symbol: PHG), London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam
and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at www.news.philips.com
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