NEW BROADBAND SITE DEMONSTRATES THE LINK BETWEEN ADVENTURE SPORTS AND WEATHER

ATLANTA – Heli-snowboarding, ice climbing, skydiving, freeride mountain biking. Be the first to experience these extreme sports virtually with the Epic Conditions broadband site from The Weather Channel® (TWC). Full episodes of the program’s new second season are now available online until the show premieres October 1 in HD on TWC.

The Web site enables viewers of the new HD season of Epic Conditions to experience these exciting outdoor adventures on-demand. With today’s re-launch of the Epic broadband channel at www.weather.com/epic, the site includes features such as video highlights from each episode and an online viewing guide with links to full episodes. Original video content allows viewers to discover little-known activities like slacklining and wingsuit flying, watch classic extreme sport profiles, and get in the action with point-of-view photography. Also available on the Epic site is an interactive map called “Epic Escapes” charting all of the shows’ locations with their current weather conditions and information on each extreme sport.

“Epic Escapes” also invites viewers to take part in an enter-to-win sweepstakes for an Epic vacation to one of the locations seen on the program. The online sweepstakes offers a chance to win a vacation to one of the Epic Conditions destinations (Alaska, Hawaii and Yosemite Park, CA). Sponsored by Nissan, the sweepstakes can be entered once daily per person at www.weather.com/epic. Three winners, to be picked throughout October, will also receive a Panasonic digital camcorder and the opportunity to chronicle their own Epic adventure to be featured on the Web site.

The new Epic broadband channel now has an updated design that features the Brightcove video player. With this new player, users are able to e-mail video clips to friends and search for their favorite extreme sports clips from the Epic video library. Users can also submit their own video clips to show off their extreme sports adventures. Full episodes of the second season of Epic Conditions will be offered online until the season starts October 1, joining episodes already available from season one. Short highlight video clips from each episode will remain online after October 1 along with original Epic video content.

“The Epic broadband channel brings another level of involvement for our extreme viewers,” said Tom Flournoy, vice president, advanced media at TWC. “Online content complements the dramatic scenic photography and spectacular action of the show to allow a daily dose of weather adrenaline.”

Available in HD, the second season of Epic Conditions features those perfect moments when the right weather creates dynamic sports opportunities. Starting October 1, it will air every weeknight from 7-7:30 p.m. ET and will re-air at 11 p.m. ET. The series is produced by Warren Miller Productions, known for jaw-dropping visuals in the extreme sports arena. The new episodes follow world class athletes and acclaimed scientists as their worlds converge, wherever “epic conditions” occur.

###


About The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel, a 24-hour weather network, is seen in nearly 94 million U.S. households. Its Web site, www.weather.com, reaches more than 30 million unique users per month. Its content is generally ranked within the 15 most popular in the U.S. by Nielsen//Net Ratings. The Weather Channel also operates Weatherscan, a 24-hour, all-local weather network available in 22 million households, The Weather Channel Radio Network, The Weather Channel Newspaper Services, and is the leading weather information provider for emerging technologies. This includes broadband and interactive television applications, with wireless weather products accessible through high-speed Internet services, phones, pagers and personal digital assistants. The Weather Channel is owned by Landmark Communications, Inc., a Norfolk, VA-based, privately held media company.