Amazon.co.uk clicks with The Times for extended online news service
Amazon.co.uk's sponsorship also includes the placement of banners throughout the free online service, which is based on the UK's largest audited national newspaper Web site. Users following these banners will be taken direct to the Amazon.co.uk store, where they can choose from a selection of more than 1.2 million UK books in print, and more than 300,000 US-published books.
The News First ticker offers coverage of breaking news stories seven days a week from 7am to 10pm GMT, as well as previews of news and features in the following day's print copy. In addition, news ticker headlines are supported by paragraph-sized bulletins and links to relevant in-depth stories carried on the site that day.
Dr Simon Murdoch, Managing Director of Amazon.co.uk, said: "Internet customers want fast and efficient access to all the best information the Web has to offer. Our association with The Times/Sunday Times Web site and the News First ticker will deliver all the most up-to-date news stories, and help customers to discover Amazon.co.uk's rich content, selection and low prices."
"News First is what all online newspapers should be about," said Paul Simon, Commercial Director of News International Internet Publishing. "News First gives the consumer the interactive edge in receiving breaking news within an editorial environment that helps them to interpret that news."
News First is number one in a series of value-added features planned by News International Internet Publishing to give its online viewer base the chance to realise fully the potential of the medium.
Amazon.co.uk launched on October 15, 1998, and offers all 1.2 million UK-published books in print, as well as a selection of 300,000 of the best selling US-published titles. Customers buying books on Amazon.co.uk find everyday discounts of up to 40% off High Street prices on thousands of popular books, and can benefit from the convenience of shopping 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any computer with Internet access.
About The Times/Sunday Times Web site
News International Internet Publishing has produced the Internet editions of The Times and The Sunday Times since January 1996.
For more than 200 years The Times has had unparalleled international status and respect. It is the undisputed newspaper of record in the UK and the first choice for decision makers and business people. In recent years The Times has been the fastest growing daily newspaper, with the largest youth readership of all the daily broadsheets.
The Sunday Times has been the undisputed leader in the quality Sunday market for more than half a century. Unrivalled as an investigative broadsheet, the paper commands respect among the nation's thinkers.
The papers' joint Web site (www.the-times.co.uk and www.sunday-times.co.uk) has developed rapidly to become the UK's leading quality online newspaper presence. With well over 1.5 million registered readers and regularly audited page impressions totalling more than 10 million, it puts more authoritative information on the Web than any other UK publisher, ranging from British and world news via sport and business to the weekend features and supplements covering a diverse and rapidly expanding range of interests.
Its Info Times and Collections series collate outstanding material from both newspaper titles and provide easy reference to a range of issues of the day, from The Sunday Times Rich List to the Education Archive and ThisLife, the health and fitness supplement published by The Times. News International Internet Publishing has something for everyone. With authority.
About Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), the Internet's No. 1 book and No. 1 music retailer, opened its virtual doors on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and quickly became Earth's Biggest Bookstoremillion books, music CDs, audiobooks, videos, DVDs, computer games, and other titles, plus easy-to-use search-and-locate features, secure credit card payment, personalised recommendations, streamlined ordering through 1-Click(TM) technology, and direct shipping. Amazon.com operates two international bookstore Web sites: www.amazon.co.uk in the United Kingdom and www.amazon.de in Germany. Amazon.com also operates PlanetAll, a Web-based address book, calendar, and reminder service, and the Internet Movie Database, the Web's comprehensive and authoritative source of information on more than 150,000 movies and entertainment programs and 500,000 cast and crew members dating from the birth of film in 1892 to the present.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, Amazon.com's limited operating history, the unpredictability of its future revenues, and risks associated with capacity constraints, management of growth, and new business opportunities. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in the company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997, and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 1998.
Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, PlanetAll.com, IMDB.com, Earth's Biggest Bookstore, and 1-Click are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information about The Times/Sunday Times Web site, please contact:
- Paul Stirrat 0207 782 3922 or
Dominic Elfer 0208 479 4995
For more information about Amazon.co.uk, please contact:
- Fiona Murphy or
Rebecca Woods on 0208 237 4000.
