Prime Now Keeps Getting Better: Introducing Restaurant Delivery in Chicago
SEATTLE— Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that Prime Now customers in Chicago can now enjoy delivery from local restaurants including Balena, Big Bowl, Big Star, Chicago q, M Burger, RPM Italian, Wildfire, and many more. Prime Now already services the Chicago area with one and two hour delivery from Amazon and grocery delivery from Plum Market, My Fit Foods and Sprinkles Cupcakes.
Using the Prime Now mobile app, Chicago customers can view participating restaurants, browse menus, place orders, track the status of their delivery, and watch as the driver travels from the restaurant to the delivery address in real time. Once an order is placed, Amazon delivery drivers pick up and deliver the food within an hour or less. The average delivery time since introducing restaurant delivery on Prime Now is 39 minutes.
“Chicago is home to just about every kind of cuisine you could want,” said Gus Lopez, general manager, Amazon Restaurants. “We’re excited to offer Amazon Prime customers a quick and convenient way to enjoy some of the city’s best restaurants without having to fight traffic or brave the cold.”
Starting today, restaurant delivery is available across 18 zip codes in Chicago. Prime members can download the Prime Now app or visit amazon.com/primenow to enter their zip code and see if Prime Now is available in their area. In zip codes where restaurant delivery is available, customers will see Restaurants on the home page.
“Being an Amazon Prime member myself, I was excited to hear that restaurant delivery was coming to Chicago,” said Kimberly Galban, One Off Hospitality Group, the management company for Big Star, Dove’s Luncheonette and Publican Quality Meats. “We are looking forward to working with Amazon because like us, they stand for flawless service and incredible value. We are thrilled to partner with Amazon in what will likely change the restaurant delivery market in Chicago.”
Participating Chicago restaurants include:
• 5411 Empanadas
• Labriola Café
• America’s Dog
• Links Taproom
• Bakin’ & Eggs
• Local Root Chicago
• Balena
• Lockdown Bar & Grill
• Be Leaf
• Lovely: A Bake Shop
• Beatrix
• Loving Heart
• Big Bowl
• M Burger
• Big G’s Pizza
• mEAT
• Big Star
• Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse
• Billy Goat Tavern
• Native Foods Café
• Bites Asian Tapa
• Paddy O’Fegan’s
• Blue Door Farm Stand Too
• Paula & Monica’s Pizzeria
• Bombay Wraps
• Pizzeria Da Nella
• Bon Bon Vietnamese Sandwiches
• Pleasant House Bakery
• bopNgrill
• Poag Mahone’s
• Brazilian Bowl
• Publican Quality Meats
• Briciola
• Rickshaw Republic
• Brown Bag Seafood Co.
• RoSal’s
• Burger Bar Chicago
• RPM Italian
• Butcher & The Burger
• RPM Steak Chicago
• Cassava
• Saigon Sisters
• Cemitas Puebla
• Scone City
• Chef Luciano
• Snap Kitchen
• Chicago q
• Sopraffina Marketcaffe
• Costello Sandwhich & Sides
• Southport Grocery and Cafe
• D.S. Tequila Company
• Standard Market Grill
• Da Lobsta
• Stan’s Donuts & Coffee
• Dive Bar
• Sunrise Cafe
• Dove’s Luncheonette
• Sweet Sensations Pastry
• Earth’s Healing Café
• Tallboy Taco
• Fatso’s Last Stand
• Taza Cafe
• FliP Crepes
• The Panini Republic
• Fuh
• Tre Soldi
• Geek Bar Beta
• Umami Burger
• Jaffa Bagels
• Union Sushi + Barbeque Bar
• Jerry’s
• Unite Urban Grill
• JINYA Ramen Bar
• WHISK
• Jubrano’s
• Wildfire
• La Stanza Ristorante
• Yefseis Cafe
• La Storia Ristorante
• And more coming soon
Restaurant delivery on Prime Now offers customers transparent pricing—there are no menu markups or hidden service fees, and delivery on all orders is free for a limited time. Customers pay using the information already stored in their Amazon account and orders are backed by Amazon’s award-winning customer service.
To learn more about restaurant delivery on Prime Now and to download the mobile app, visit amazon.com/Chicago-restaurants. For restaurants interested in working with Prime Now, please contact restaurant-inquiries@amazon.com.
More to Prime
Amazon Prime is an annual membership program for $99 a year that offers customers unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 20 million items across all categories, unlimited Free Same-Day Delivery on more than a million items in 16 metro areas, unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes with Prime Video, more than one million songs and thousands of curated playlists and stations with Prime Music, early access to select Lightning Deals all year long, free secure, unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive with Prime Photos and access to more than one million books to borrow with the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. In addition, Prime members in more than 20 metro areas receive one- and two-hour delivery through Prime Now on tens of thousands of items through a mobile app. Not a member? Start a free trial of Amazon Prime at amazon.com/prime.
About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.
Prime Now Gets Even Better in Los Angeles – Introduces Delivery from Local Restaurants
SEATTLE– Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that Prime Now, the company’s one-hour delivery service, has expanded in Los Angeles to include delivery from local restaurants, including Umami Burger, Baby Blues BBQ, Wokcano, Hurry Curry of Tokyo, Feast from the East, John O’Groats Restaurant, and many more. Prime members in Los Angeles can now enjoy delivery from their favorite local restaurants, as well as delivery on tens of thousands of items from Amazon and local stores such as Sprouts Farmers Market, Bristol Farms, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Erewhon Organic Grocer and 99 Ranch Market.
Using the Prime Now mobile app, Prime members in Los Angeles can view participating restaurants, browse menus, place orders, track the status of their delivery, and watch in real time as an Amazon delivery driver travels from the restaurant to their delivery address. Food is delivered in an hour or less.
“Los Angeles is known for great local restaurants with cuisines from around world,” said Gus Lopez, general manager, Amazon Restaurants. “We’re excited to offer Amazon Prime customers in Los Angeles a fast and convenient way to enjoy some of the city’s best restaurants without having to stand in line or brave the traffic.”
Starting today, restaurant delivery on Prime Now is available in select Los Angeles zip codes and will expand in the coming days. Prime members can download the Prime Now app or visit amazon.com/primenow to enter their zip code and see if Prime Now is available in their area. In zip codes where restaurant delivery is available, customers will see Restaurants on the home page.
“Restaurant delivery on Prime Now makes it possible to enjoy Umami Burger even if you don’t have time to swing by and pick it up yourself,” said Meghan Dwyer, Umami Burger. “With just a few taps of the phone and the Prime Now app, customers can order their favorite menu items, like our original Umami burger and truffle fries, and have it delivered right to their door in less than an hour.”
“Whether you’re craving our Smokin’ Wings, Baby Back Ribs or Brisket, you can now place an order directly through the Prime Now app and have our unique, made-from-scratch experience delivered in less than an hour,” said Liz Gulash, Baby Blues BBQ. “We are excited to offer new and existing customers yet another convenient way to enjoy Baby Blues BBQ.”
Restaurant delivery on Prime Now offers customers transparent pricing—there are no menu markups or hidden service fees, and delivery on all orders is free for a limited time. Customers pay using the information already stored in their Amazon account and orders are backed by Amazon’s award-winning customer service.
To learn more about Prime Now, and to download the mobile app, visit amazon.com/primenow. For restaurants interested in working with Prime Now, please contact restaurant-inquiries@amazon.com.
More to Prime
Amazon Prime is an annual membership program for $99 a year that offers customers unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 20 million items across all categories, unlimited Free Same-Day Delivery on more than a million items in 16 metro areas, unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, more than one million songs, more than one thousand playlists and hundreds of stations with Prime Music, early access to select Lightning Deals all year long, free secure, unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive with Prime Photos and access to more than 800,000 books to borrow with the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. In addition, Prime members in select cities receive one and two hour delivery through Prime Now on tens of thousands of items through a mobile app. Not a member? Start a free trial of Amazon Prime at amazon.com/prime.
About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.
Discover Adventure! New Animated Build-A-Bear Float to Debut at 89th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
ST. LOUIS & NEW YORK – On Nov. 26, a new float from Build-A-Bear, a global brand kids love and parents trust, will roll through Manhattan during the 89th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®. The latest Build-A-Bear float in the annual spectacle will feature a variety of scenes and of course, bears – all with one mission in mind: Discover Adventure! A part of the Macy’s Parade family since 2002, this year’s latest floating wonder marks the third Build-A-Bear float for the Parade which is sure to delight the more than 3.5 million spectators lining the Parade route on Thanksgiving Day.
“Making memories and celebrating life’s moments are at the heart of everything we do, and countless memories are made every year when the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, one of America’s most anticipated events, takes place,” said Gina Collins, chief marketing officer, Build-A-Bear. “We worked closely with the talented team at Macy’s to create exciting scenes that evoke a sense of adventure and incorporate teddy bears – the icons of our brand – into one incredible new float.”
“For nearly 90 years, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has brought generations of families together to enjoy the wonder and magic of the official kick off to the holiday season,” said Amy Kule, executive producer, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Once again, we enthusiastically welcome Build-A-Bear and their new float to our glorious procession as together we celebrate the childlike spirit in everyone.”
The engineers and craftspeople at Macy’s Parade Studio began working with Build-A-Bear on the new concept in early 2015, and construction took approximately five months. The front view of the float begins with two bears playfully riding ocean waves, while a sailboat captained by a Sailor Bear rocks gently overhead. A castle featuring Build-A-Bear’s icon, Bearnard, serves as the centerpiece, complete with a friendly, smoke-breathing dragon climbing up to see a Princess Bear, who showers the crowds with confetti. The sides of the float feature different scenes of wonder and adventure including a classic teddy-bear tea party, as well as a trip to outer space on a rocket ship manned by an Astronaut Bear, who turns his head to gaze upon the world as he flies into the air with bouncing stars.
More than 50 million viewers tune in to watch the magic of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade each year. The latest design from Build-A-Bear is one of only five new floats that will take part in this year’s event.
“As we look ahead to our upcoming anniversary, we recently unveiled a fresh look and feel through our new Discovery concept stores, so it was important to reflect that into the design of our newest float in the Macy’s Parade,” added Collins. “On Thanksgiving Day, our float will allow millions to get a peek at the fresh face of Build-A-Bear.”
Build-A-Bear is a multi-generational brand that will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2017. Since the company was founded in 1997, more than 145 million furry friends have been made.
In addition to the Parade experience, this holiday season, Build-A-Bear is once again teaming up with Macy’s to offer shop-in-shops at seven Macy’s locations nationwide so that shoppers can take part in the full Build-A-Bear Workshop experience inside a Macy’s store.
Build-A-Bear Workshop will also bring its wildly popular Merry Mission story to life with the return of everyone’s favorite eight reindeer, along with a brand-new face, to stores this season. Glisten, the strongest, fastest reindeer of all time will light the night and help Santa and his team deliver toys to everyone on the nice list. Her special medallion unlocks the Merry Mission app and its features, and additional outfits and accessories are sold separately. Fans can download the updated Merry Mission app on iTunes and Google Play starting Nov. 1.
For more information, visit buildabear.com and follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. The 89th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs nationwide on NBC-TV, on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015, from 9 a.m. – noon; in all time zones.
About Build-A-Bear
Founded in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear, a global brand kids love and parents trust, seeks to add a little more heart to life. Build-A-Bear has approximately 400 stores worldwide where guests can create customizable furry friends, including company-owned stores in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom, and franchise stores in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East. The company was named to the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for the seventh year in a row in 2015. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) posted a total revenue of $392.4 million in fiscal 2014. For more information, visit the Investor Relations section of buildabear.com.
About the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
With more than 50 million viewers across the country and more than 3.5 million spectators that line up along the streets of New York City each year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national icon that has grown into a world-famous holiday event. For almost 90 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has marked the official start of the holiday season. Growing in size and scale, the Parade proudly marches down a more than 2-mile route in New York City with more than 8,000 participants in tow including Macy’s (NYSE:M) employees, their families, celebrities, athletes, clowns and dance groups spreading holiday cheer. The Parade also features America’s best marching bands, fabulous floats and Macy’s signature giant helium character balloons. For more information on the Macy’s Parade, please visit www.macys.com/parade or call the Parade hotline at (212) 494-4495.
Amazon Announces Lineup for its 2015 Fall Pilot Season
SEATTLE- Sep. 23, 2015– (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today announced the lineup for its fall pilot season which is scheduled to debut later this year exclusively on Amazon Video in the US, UK, Germany and Austria. Amazon customers will find a wide-range of genres in this latest slate of pilots ranging from Good Girls Revolt, a powerful story set in 1969 about a group of young women seeking to be treated fairly and ultimately sparking changes that upend marriages, careers, love and friendship; Z, a half-hour bio-series pilot of Lost Generation legend Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald and her passionate love affair with iconic author F. Scott Fitzgerald; Highston, a family comedy about invisible celebrity friendships to Edge, a western set in the post-Civil War era where one cowboy doles out his own savage brand of justice; and more.
Amazon customers will once again be invited to watch and provide feedback on the shows they want to see turned into full series for Prime members. All pilots will be available via the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo.
The new half-hour pilots premiering later this year include Highston from Bob Nelson (Nebraska), Directors Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) and Executive Producer Sacha Baron Cohen (The Dictator); One Mississippi from Executive Producers Louis CK (Louie), Tig Notaro (Boyish Girl Interrupted), Diablo Cody (Juno) and Executive Producer/Director Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said); and Z from Dawn Prestwich (The Killing) and Nicole Yorkin (The Killing), produced by Pam Koffler and Christine Vachon (Still Alice) and directed by Tim Blake Nelson (Anesthesia). The hour-long pilots will include Edge from Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3) and Fred Dekker (Tales from the Crypt, Star Trek: Enterprise); Good Girls Revolt written by Dana Calvo (Made in Jersey); and Patriot (working title) from Steven Conrad (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Weather Man).
As well, these pilots feature notable actors including Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), Flea (The Big Lebowski), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Shaquille O’Neal (Blended), Terry O’Quinn (Lost), Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Christina Ricci (Monster), and David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum).
“Our latest pilot season brings together a diverse group of shows that we think customers will really enjoy,” said Roy Price, Vice President, Amazon Studios. “We have something for everyone in this season and I am excited to see which shows spark conversation amongst our customers and what they want to be made into series.”
Amazon’s fall pilot season includes the following shows:
Edge
Based on George G. Gilman’s best-selling book series of the same name, which has been described as “the most violent western in print,” Edge showcases the sly, raw power of the western genre. Set in 1868, Max Martini (Pacific Rim, Captain Phillips) stars as Josiah ‘Edge’ Hedges—a Union officer turned cowboy, who prowls the post-Civil War American West doling out his own peculiar (and savage) brand of justice. When we meet Edge in the pilot, his mission is personal and his vengeance hath no fury. Edge also stars Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) as Merritt Harknett, and Yvonne Strahovski (The Astronaut Wives Club, Chuck) as Beth. Edge was developed by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3) and Fred Dekker (Tales from the Crypt, Star Trek: Enterprise), teleplay by Dekker and Black, is directed by Black, and executive produced by Black, Dekker, Barry Josephson (Bones, Turn: Washington Spies), and David Greenblatt (Battle Los Angeles).
Good Girls Revolt
In 1969, while a cultural revolution with a soundtrack to match swept through the free world, there was still one place that refused to change with the times: newsrooms. Good Girls Revolt follows a group of young female researchers at “News of the Week,” who simply ask to be treated fairly. Their revolutionary request will spark convulsive changes and upend marriages, careers, sex lives, love lives, and friendships. Good Girls Revolt stars Genevieve Angelson (Backstrom) as Patti, Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect) as Jane, Erin Darke (We Need to Talk About Kevin) as Cindy, Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley) as Finn, Hunter Parrish (Weeds) as Doug, Jim Belushi (Show Me a Hero) as Wick McFadden, Joy Bryant (Parenthood) as Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Grace Gummer as Nora Ephron. A co-production with TriStar Television, Good Girls Revolt is written and created by Dana Calvo (Made in Jersey), directed by Liza Johnson (Return), and executive produced by Calvo, Lynda Obst (Interstellar), Darlene Hunt (The Big C), Don Kurt (Justified) and Jeff Okin (Dark Skies, Stanley Park). The pilot is inspired by the landmark sexual discrimination cases chronicled in Lynn Povich’s book, The Good Girls Revolt.
Highston
Highston Liggetts (newcomer Lewis Pullman) is a 19-year-old with a wide circle of celebrity friends—that only he can see. His parents, Jean (Mary Lynn Rajskub, 24), and Wilbur (Chris Parnell, Saturday Night Live) force him to get psychiatric help, but his Uncle Billy (Curtis Armstrong, American Dad!) thinks he’s just fine. Highston is a comedy about what it means to be normal in a world that’s anything but. The pilot guest stars Shaquille O’Neal (Thunderstruck) and Flea (The Big Lewbowski), and is written by Oscar-nominee Bob Nelson (Nebraska), directed by Independent Spirit Award winners Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine), and executive produced by Sacha Baron Cohen (The Dictator), Todd Hoffman (Love Stinks), Nelson, and Todd Schulman (Bruno).
One Mississippi
A dark comedy, loosely inspired by Tig Notaro’s (Boyish Girl Interrupted) life, One Mississippi follows Tig as she deals with the complex reentry into her childhood hometown of Bay Saint Lucille, Mississippi, to deal with the unexpected death of her mother, the interminable life of the party, Caroline. Reeling from her own recently declining health, Tig struggles to find her footing with the loss of the one person who actually understood her, with help from her older but not always wiser brother, Remy, played by Noah Harpster (Transparent), and her emotionally distant stepfather, Bill, played by John Rothman (The Devil Wears Prada). A surprise visit from Tig’s girlfriend, Brooke, played by Casey Wilson (Gone Girl) only compounds the reality of how out of place Tig is in a world without her mother. A co-production with FX Productions, One Mississippi is written and executive produced by Notaro and Diablo Cody (Juno), executive produced by Louis CK (Louie), Blair Breard (Louie), and Dave Becky (Everybody Hates Chris), with pilot directed and executive produced by Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said).
Patriot
The political thriller Patriot follows the complicated life of intelligence officer John Tavner (Australian newcomer Michael Dorman, Wonderland). His latest assignment is to prevent Iran from going nuclear, requiring him to forgo all safety nets and assume a perilous “non-official cover” — that of a mid-level employee at a Midwestern industrial piping firm. A bout with PTSD, the Federal government’s incompetence, and the intricacies of keeping a day job in the “front” industrial piping company, cause a barrage of ever-escalating fiascos that jeopardize Tavner’s mission. The pilot also stars Terry O’Quinn (Lost) as Tom Tavner, John’s State Department Director of Intelligence father, Michael Chernus (Manhattan Project), as John’s older brother Edward Tavner, a young Texas congressman, Kathleen Munroe (Call Me Fitz), as John’s wife Alice, Aliette Opheim (Sandor slash Ida) as Agathe, a brilliant young homicide detective from Luxembourg hot on John’s trail, and Kurtwood Smith (That 70s Show) as Mr. Claret, John’s stickler of a new “boss” at the piping firm. Patriot is written and directed by Steven Conrad (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Weather Man), and executive produced by Conrad, Gil Bellows (Temple Grandin), Glen Ficarra (Crazy Stupid Love, Focus), Charlie Gogolak (Focus), and John Requa (Crazy Stupid Love, Focus).
Z
Z is a bio-series pilot based on the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, the brilliant, beautiful and talented Southern Belle who becomes the original flapper and icon of the wild, flamboyant Jazz Age in the 20s. Starring Christina Ricci (Monster) as Zelda Sayre, Z starts before she meets the unpublished writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (Gavin Stenhouse, Allegiance), and moves through their passionate, turbulent love affair and their marriage—made in heaven, lived out in hell as the celebrity couple of their time. The series travels through the wild parties, the wicked jazz, the dissolute artists of the era, as well as the alcoholism, adultery and struggle with dashed dreams and mental illness that characterizes their later years. Z dives into the fascinating life of a woman ahead of her time, an artist determined to establish her own identity in the tempestuous wake of a world-famous husband. The show pulls back the curtain on her triumphs and dark secrets. It’s a modern take on one of the most notorious love stories of all time, played out in salons and speak-easies from Montgomery, Alabama to the Cote D’Azur. Z is written by Dawn Prestwich (The Killing) and Nicole Yorkin (The Killing), directed by Tim Blake Nelson (Anesthesia), and executive produced by Pamela Koffler (Still Alice) and Christine Vachon (One Hour Photo) of Killer Films, as well as Ricci. The show also guest stars David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck) as Judge Anthony Dickerson Sayre, Kristine Nielsen (Savages) as Minnie Sayre, Maya Kazan (The Knick) as Livye Hart, Sarah Schenkkan (30 Rock) as Eleanor Browder, Jamie Anne Allman (The Killing) as Tootsie Sayre, and Holly Curran (Alpha House) as Tilde Sayre.
About Amazon Video
Amazon Video includes tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes available on Prime Video at no additional charge to Prime members, as well as access to hundreds of thousands of titles to buy or rent. Amazon Video is the only service in the world that brings customers both of these options in one place.
Prime Video, available on Amazon Video, lets Prime members enjoy binge-worthy TV shows including Amazon Original Series airing now such as the multi-Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-winning series Transparent, Hand of God, Bosch, Catastrophe and Mozart in the Jungle as well as hit series like Sex and the City, Veep, Girls, The Sopranos, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Wire. Prime Video also offers members blockbuster movies such as Transformers: Age of Extinction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, among others. Prime members have access to a collection of kids shows including Amazon Original Series Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street and the Annecy, Annie and multi-Emmy Award-winning Tumble Leaf, as well as popular shows from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, and Blue’s Clues.
Prime members can look forward to several new upcoming original series premiering this year, with the coming-of-age dramedy Red Oaks premiering on October 9, followed by the much anticipated adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle on November 20, and season two of Emmy-winning Transparent December 4. Coming in 2016 will be the second seasons of Mozart in the Jungle, Bosch and romantic comedy, Catastrophe, along with the debut season of The New Yorker Presents.
In addition to tens of thousands of titles to instantly stream on Prime Video, the Amazon Prime membership (www.amazon.com/prime) includes more than one million songs, more than a thousand playlists and hundreds of stations through Prime Music, unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items, early access to select Lightning Deals, unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos, and access to borrow from more than 800,000 books for Kindle owners–all for $99 a year.
Amazon Video can be accessed through the Amazon Video app on TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo. Prime Video titles can also be downloaded for offline enjoyment—the only subscription streaming service to offer this functionality. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at Amazon.com/prime.
About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.
WME | IMG Acquires The Miss Universe Organization From Donald J. Trump
Sep 14, 2015 – WME | IMG today announced the acquisition of The Miss Universe Organization, which includes MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA®, and MISS TEEN USA®, from Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump had acquired NBCUniversal’s interest in The Miss Universe Organization as part of the settlement of his litigation against NBCUniversal.
The Miss Universe Organization is an international organization that advances and supports opportunities for women. MISS UNIVERSE® is distributed in more than 190 countries worldwide and seen by more than half a billion people annually.
The MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA®, and MISS TEEN USA® pageants provide a global platform for more than 10,000 women annually through dedicated partnerships with charities, sponsors, brands, franchisees and television networks around the world. Additionally, the organization raises millions of dollars for charities annually, including nearly $4 million in 2014 alone.
“Having worked closely with The Miss Universe Organization in the past, we understand the incredible potential of the events and the star-quality of the participants,” said Mark Shapiro, Chief Content Officer, WME | IMG. “The global reach of The Miss Universe Organization and the content opportunities presented by the pageants make this a strong, strategic addition to our portfolio.”
“I have truly enjoyed owning the MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA®, and MISS TEEN USA® pageants,” said Mr. Trump. “When I purchased the pageants many years ago, they were in serious trouble. It has been a great honor making them so successful and I have really enjoyed watching the pageants grow throughout the USA and worldwide. The pageants are now in the hands of a great company that will shepherd them to even greater levels of success.”
This acquisition expands WME | IMG’s portfolio of global events and media properties across entertainment and fashion, including more than 20 fashion weeks per year in cities including New York, Berlin, and Sydney; original lifestyle productions including this year’s “Macy’s Presents Fashion’s Front Row” taking place at Madison Square Garden; and global lifestyle festivals including Taste Festivals and Lollapalooza.
IMG has served as executive producers of both MISS UNIVERSE® and MISS USA® pageants in the past.
The Raine Group and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as WME | IMG’s financial and legal advisors, respectively.
ThinkGeek Partners with GameStop to Launch Unique New Store Concept
FAIRFAX, Va.- Online retailer ThinkGeek, purveyor and creator of collectibles and geek-gear, will partner with new owner GameStop to open a new concept retail store focused entirely on collectibles this fall. The first store will open in the Florida Mall in Orlando, FL on September 25.
“The opening of our first brick and mortar store is a significant milestone for the brand and a great example of how the GameStop acquisition is a win for our customers,” said Katy McCarthy, president of ThinkGeek. “While people know us today as an online retailer, the GameStop connection will bring vastly more visibility to the brand and our ever expanding selection of exclusive products.”
“GameStop is committed to delivering a great customer experience in the collectibles market and this store is unlike anything that currently exists today,” said Mike Buskey, executive vice president and president of U.S. stores at GameStop. “We are combining the power of the ThinkGeek brand with the retail expertise of GameStop to deliver a new store concept that will amaze and appeal to a broad range of customers from collectors to pop culture fans.”
Each location has been designed with a modern, bright, open floor plan and will feature a wide assortment of geek-inspired collectibles, gadgets, apparel and other unique licensed products from some of the most admired pop culture brands like STAR WARS, Game of Thrones, Nintendo, Marvel, Minecraft and many others.
ThinkGeek began in 1999 with a group of friends who saw a hole in the marketplace: merchandise that related to and celebrated their geeky passions. Now in its 16th year of business, the brand is known for creating and sharing unique and authentic product experiences that appeal to hardcore collectors and pop culture fandoms.
ThinkGeek and its parent company, Geeknet, were recently acquired by retailer GameStop, which has been expanding its collectibles product line in its stores worldwide.
About ThinkGeek
ThinkGeek is the premier retailer for the global geek community. Since 1999, ThinkGeek has been creating a world where everyone can express and celebrate their inner geek, turn there interests into passions, and connect with one another. We are obsessed with creating and sharing unique and authentic experiences that stimulate our fans’ imaginations and fuel their geek core. We believe there is a geek in everyone and invite you to Join In. Geek Out. Learn more at ThinkGeek.com.
About GameStop
GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, is a global, multichannel video game, consumer electronics and wireless services retailer.
GameStop operates more than 6,800 stores across 14 countries. The company’s consumer product network also includes www.gamestop.com; www.Kongregate.com, a leading browser-based game site; Game Informer® magazine, the world’s leading print and digital video game publication and the recently acquired Geeknet, Inc., parent company of ThinkGeek, www.thinkgeek.com, the premier retailer for the global geek community featuring exclusive and unique video game and pop culture products. In addition, our Technology Brands segment includes Simply Mac and Spring Mobile stores. Simply Mac, www.simplymac.com, operates 72 stores, selling the full line of Apple products, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones and offering Apple certified warranty and repair services. Spring Mobile, http://springmobile.com, sells post-paid AT&T services and wireless products through its 590 AT&T branded stores and offers pre-paid wireless services, devices and related accessories through its 69 Cricket branded stores in select markets in the U.S.
General information about GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company’s corporate website. Follow @GameStop on Twitter and find GameStop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GameStop.
Worldwide Search Discovers Young Ensemble Cast To Star In New Original Netflix Series Stranger Things
Beverly Hills, Calif., – After a worldwide search with thousands of applicants, Netflix, the world’s leading internet TV network, has added several young actors to Stranger Things, the new drama series written and directed by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (Wayward Pines, Hidden). Eight one-hour long episodes of the series will premiere exclusively across all Netflix territories in 2016.
In the series, a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends, family, and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one very strange little girl. The series, set in Indiana, is a love letter to the ‘80s classics that captivated a generation. It was previously announced that Winona Ryder and David Harbour would also both star in the series. Ryder will portray Joyce, a working class single mother reeling from the disappearance of her 12-year-old son, and Harbour will play the towns chief of police.
Finn Wolfhard co-stars in the series as Mike, a bullied 12-year-old who becomes an unlikely hero in the quest to save his best friend. Wolfhard guest starred in The 100, and the independent films Aftermath and The Resurrection.
In the series, Millie Brown portrays a mysterious character that Mike meets in the woods, who possesses strange abilities. Brown appeared in the BBC’s Intruders and caught the attention of Stephen King, who described her appearance as ‘terrific’ on twitter. She also appeared as Alice in Once Upon A Time and on NCIS.
Gaten Matarazzo joins the cast as Dustin, a 12-year-old who marches to the beat of his own drum and whose sense of humor helps defuse tense situations in the series. Matarazzo recently finished a one-year stint as one of the two Gavroches in the current revival of Les Miserables, and also appeared on Broadway with Priscilla Queen of the Desert. He also recently appeared on The Blacklist, and has done the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
Caleb McLaughlin stars as Lucas, an opinionated friend of Mike’s, who possesses a fierceness and courage the other boys lack. McLaughlin recently wrapped The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek by Athol Fugard at the Signature Theater where he received incredible reviews and praise. From 2012-2014 he played “Young Simba” in The Lion King on Broadway, and in 2013 he was one of a handful of young Broadway stars to do an album called When I Grow Up: Broadway’s Next Generation, based on a one-night only concert cabaret event.
Noah Schnapp portrays Will in the series, a small and sensitive boy who doesnt fit into the 1980’s definition of normal, who vanishes into thin air. Schnapp will be appearing in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, opposite Tom Hanks and Amy Ryan, and as the voice of Charlie Brown in the upcoming The Peanuts Movie, and the upcoming film, ’i>We Only Know So Much, as Jeanne Tripplehorn’s son.
Natalia Dyer portrays Nancy in the series, Mikes teenage, older sister. Dyer had a breakthrough lead role in the coming-of-age drama I Believe in Unicorns, that premiered at the 2014 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival. She recently completed filming the sci-fi drama After Darkness, directed by Batan Silva, and starring Kyra Sedgwick and Tim Daly as her parents. Her other credits include Roadside Attractions’ Blue Like Jazz, which premiered at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival; the supernatural thriller The Between, alongside Joel Courtney and Isabelle Fuhrman from producer Susan Johnson; as well as Disney’s Hannah Montana: The Movie. Dyer also recently landed a supporting role opposite Shiloh Fernandez in the Chadd Harbold indie Long Nights, Short Mornings.
Charlie Heaton portrays Jonathan, Will’s older teenage brother. Charlie can next be seen starring in Europacorp’s new dramatic thriller, Shut In for Farren Blackburn, opposite Academy Award winner Naomi Watts. The film is currently set to be released in February 2016. He is currently in pre-production on the independent feature As A Friend, opposite Amanda Stenberg, from producer Brent Stiefel. Charlie recently wrapped production starring opposite Richard Armitage and Anna Friel in Urban and the Shed Crew.
The Duffer Brothers are writing, directing and co-showrunning the series, and will serve as executive producers along with co-showrunner Karl Gajdusek (Oblivion, Last Resort) and Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen via their 21 Laps entertainment banner (The Spectacular Now, Night At The Museum, Real Steel, Date Night). Stranger Things is a Netflix production.
About Netflix
Netflix is the world’s leading Internet television network with over 65 million members in over 50 countries enjoying more than 100 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
Beijing Named Host City of Olympic Winter Games 2022 by International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today named Beijing, People’s Republic of China, as the host city of the Olympic Winter Games 2022.
The Chinese capital was chosen over Almaty, Kazakhstan, in a vote at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur. Beijing received 44 votes to Almaty’s 40.
As a result, Beijing will become the first city to host both a summer and winter edition of the Olympic Games, following the city’s successful staging of the Summer Games in 2008.
Right after the election, representatives of Beijing together with IOC President Thomas Bach signed the Host City Contract (HCC), which is available here. This is the first time that the HCC is being made public, which is a result of the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020 – a reform package that significantly changed the host city selection process.
Beijing aims to use the Games to accelerate the development of a new sport, culture and tourism area, and to encourage interest in winter sports in a region that is home to more than 300 million people in northern China.
Although the bid process for 2022 began before the approval of Olympic Agenda 2020, the reforms have already had a significant impact on Beijing’s Olympic plans. Olympic Agenda 2020 calls for a stronger focus on sustainability, legacy, and transparency, while making it easier for host cities to tailor Games that meet their needs rather than trying to fit a template.
Beijing took advantage of the flexibility provided by Olympic Agenda 2020 to improve its plans for the Games and reduce costs. The city will rely heavily on existing venues, including those built for the Games in 2008, such as the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium.
Beijing’s proposed budget for investment in Olympic villages, sports venues and other infrastructure totals 1.5 billion US dollars – significantly less than for Olympic Games in the past. The proposed operational budget should be fully offset by revenue from ticket sales, marketing sponsorships and other income. Thanks to an additional contribution from the IOC of approximately 880 million US dollars to support the staging of the Olympic Winter Games in 2022, Beijing is confident that it will either break even or make a profit.
In addition, post-Games legacy uses for all permanent venues have already been identified to ensure that Games-related investments deliver benefits for years to come.
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The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.25 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.
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GameStop Completes Acquisition of Geeknet
GRAPEVINE, Texas- GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Geeknet through a tender offer (the “Offer”) to purchase all outstanding shares of Geeknet, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ: GKNT) for $20.00 per share in cash, without interest thereon and less any applicable withholding taxes (the “Offer Price”). Following the completion of the Offer to purchase all outstanding shares of Geeknet for the Offer Price, GameStop acquired all remaining Geeknet shares through a merger without a vote or meeting of Geeknet’s stockholders pursuant to Section 251(h) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
Paul Raines, chief executive officer of GameStop, stated, “This acquisition is another example of our on-going efforts to leverage our core competencies to diversify and expand into new and growing categories. The collectibles category is a rapidly growing segment and Geeknet provides us with a strong consumer brand, product development expertise and meaningful vendor partnerships, all of which position us to become the market leader. We welcome the Geeknet team and their ThinkGeek brand into the GameStop family of brands.”
At the acceptance time for the Offer, GameStop accepted for payment and paid for 5,924,629 shares, which were validly tendered and not withdrawn in the Offer, representing 86.38% of Geeknet’s outstanding shares, according to the depositary for the Offer.
At the effective time of the merger and subject to any perfected appraisal rights, all remaining shares of Geeknet common stock not tendered into the Offer were converted into the right to receive $20.00 in cash, without interest thereon and less any applicable withholding taxes, which is the same amount as paid in the Offer. As a result of the completion of the merger, Geeknet has become a subsidiary of GameStop. Geeknet’s common stock will no longer be listed on the NASDAQ Global Market.
About GameStop
GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, is a global, multichannel video game, consumer electronics and wireless services retailer. GameStop operates more than 6,600 stores across 14 countries. The company’s consumer product network also includes www.gamestop.com; www.Kongregate.com, a leading browser-based game site; and Game Informer® magazine, the world’s leading print and digital video game publication. In addition, our Technology Brands segment includes our Simply Mac and Spring Mobile businesses. Simply Mac, www.simplymac.com, operates 71 stores, selling the full line of Apple products, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones and offering Apple certified warranty and repair services. Spring Mobile, http://springmobile.com, sells post-paid AT&T services and wireless products through its 410 AT&T branded stores and offers pre-paid wireless services, devices and related accessories through its 68 Cricket branded stores in select markets throughout the United States.
General information about GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company’s corporate website. Follow GameStop on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/GameStop and find GameStop on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/GameStop.
About Geeknet
Geeknet, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ: GKNT) is the parent company of ThinkGeek and ThinkGeek Solutions. ThinkGeek is the premier retailer for the global geek community. Since 1999, ThinkGeek has been creating a world where everyone can express their inner geek, embrace their passions, and connect with each other. ThinkGeek Solutions, which distributes video game-themed merchandise through licensed web-stores for the gaming community, joined our Geeknet family in August 2014. Our obsession is creating and sharing unique and authentic product experiences that stimulate our fans’ imaginations and fuel their geek core. We believe that there is a geek in everyone and that it should be celebrated. Want to learn more? Check out www.thinkgeek.com or www.geek.net.
BET Networks Announces Exclusive Broadcast Partnership to Telecast Roc Nation Sports Throne Boxing Events Live
NEW YORK- BET Networks is pleased to announce that it is stepping into the ring with Roc Nation Sports as their exclusive broadcast partner to air live throne boxing events on the network. The partnership between BET Networks and Roc Nation Sports is the first of its kind for the network and includes airing up to nine live, two-hour telecasts of Roc Nation Sports throne boxing events over the next 18 months. The first main event fight to air on BET Networks will feature WBA Super Middleweight World Champion Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KO’s) facing former World Title Challenger Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KO’s) of England on Saturday, June 20, 2015 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. In addition to the great action inside the ring, the telecast will feature several notable Roc Nation touches that offer an unprecedented fan experience, including a live musical performance and a name DJ to keep the energy at a high level throughout the night. Fans can catch the action live on BET in the United States and globally on TIDAL.com, the newly launched music streaming service that combines the best high fidelity sound quality, high definition music videos and expertly curated editorial.
Tickets priced at $250, $125, $90, $60 and $30, not including applicable service charges and taxes, go on sale Friday, April 24 at 10:00 AM PT and will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com and charge by phone at (800) 745-3000 FREE.
“BET is constantly searching for ways to expand its portfolio of content with the sole goal of satisfying our audiences,” said Stephen G. Hill, President of Programming, BET Networks. “Roc Nation is doing very exciting things in the entertainment space and we are excited to partner with them on this groundbreaking deal positioning BET Networks as a go-to destination for premier live boxing events. Together, we’ll provide unique entertainment.”
“We’re thrilled to not only be introducing our newest broadcast partnership with BET Networks, but also to use this new platform to telecast Andre Ward’s highly anticipated return to the ring,” said David Itskowitch, COO – Boxing of Roc Nation Sports. “On June 20, we will once again provide fans a night of exciting throne boxing fights, live musical entertainment and an unprecedented fan experience.”
“I’m very excited to be coming back on June 20 at Oracle Arena in my hometown of Oakland which has been a long time coming,” said Ward. “I’m equally excited to be fighting on BET in front of a potential viewership of over 90 million homes. As a fighter, this diversifies my portfolio and puts me in front of a whole different audience. I have an extremely tough fighter in front of me in Paul Smith who’s looking to pull the upset, but I can’t let that happen. I have to be on my best game to turn Smith away and beat him the way I want to beat him. As always, I’m ready to put on a tremendous performance in front of my hometown fans and those watching on BET. This is a fight you don’t want to miss.”
“I cannot wait to get back in the ring and test myself against a class act like Andre Ward. I proved that I belong at the top level with my performances against Arthur Abraham and this is a challenge that I am relishing,” said Smith. “Andre is a top pound-for-pound fighter and someone I respect a lot, but he has only boxed once in almost three years and I will give it everything I have got. I am fresh and confident going into this fight. It’s a massive opportunity for me and one that I took with both hands when it was offered. I have spent a lot of time boxing in the United States and I look forward to returning for this fight.”
Known for his strong character and integrity outside the ring and his killer instinct inside it, Andre Ward’s skill and talent were apparent early in his outstanding amateur career. He racked up every title in the books, culminating with a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. As the only male American boxer to claim Olympic gold since 1996, Ward joined the likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya. He turned professional on December 18, 2004, scoring a second round technical knockout victory over Chris Molina at Staples Center in a fight that was televised live on HBO. He has gone on to rack up 26 more victories since then, building an ever-growing legion of fans in the process. After becoming the Ring Magazine and WBA Super Middleweight World Champion, rising to the number two spot on the pound-for-pound list and winning the 2011 Fighter of the Year Award (ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Ring Magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America), it was announced that Ward signed an exclusive promotional agreement with Roc Nation Sports in January 2015, opening a new chapter in his storied boxing career. Now the Bay Area product is ready to return to the ring on June 20 at the Oracle Arena in front of his hometown fans in Oakland, California.
Paul “Real Gone Kid” Smith enters his fight against pound-for-pound star Ward coming off of two heroic performances against WBO Super Middleweight World Champion Arthur Abraham. Smith challenged the Armenian-German for his title in Kiel, Germany in September 2014 and put on the performance of his career in his world title first shot. The 32-year-old native of Liverpool was the clear winner of large parts of the fight and celebrated at the bell in front of a hushed partisan crowd that thought that Abraham had been dethroned. Smith was not expecting the wide scorecards that were read out in favor of the hometown fighter and, judging by the far-reaching outrage at the lopsided numbers, neither were the majority of the boxing world and beyond, with Smith receiving support from some of Britain’s biggest sports stars on social media. A rematch was the only possible scenario and, like a true champion, Abraham duly obliged. Smith returned to Germany in February of this year to face Abraham again, this time in Berlin, but Abraham was a different fighter the night of their second fight, successfully defending his belt against a brave challenge from Smith. Once again the judges’ were forced to give a verdict and this time a decision win by Abraham was met with no outcry of controversy. On June 20, “Real Gone Kid” will return to the ring and once again venture into hostile territory to take on one of boxing’s best, looking to silence the crowd.
Ward vs. Smith, presented by Roc Nation Sports, takes place Saturday, June 20 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, will be televised live on BET and streamed globally on TIDAL.com at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT and is presented in association with Matchroom Sport.
ABOUT BET NETWORKS:
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks – BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.
ABOUT ROC NATION SPORTS:
Roc Nation Sports, a sub-division of Roc Nation, launched in spring 2013. Founder Shawn “JAY Z” Carter’s love of sports lead to the natural formation of Roc Nations Sports, helping athletes in the same way Roc Nation has been helping artists in the music industry for years. Roc Nation Sports focuses on elevating athletes’ career on a global scale both on and off the field. Roc Nation Sports conceptualizes and executes marketing and endorsement deals, community outreach, charitable tie-ins, media relations and brand strategy. Roc Nation Sports launched its boxing division, a full service promotional company which represents world champions Miguel Cotto and Andre Ward, in August 2014. Roc Nation Sports’ roster includes premiere athletes such as Robinson Cano, Skylar Diggins, Kevin Durant, Geno Smith, Victor Cruz, CC Sabathia, James Young, Dez Bryant, Ndamukong Suh, Rusney Castillo, Yoenis Cespedes, Jaelen Strong, Todd Gurley, Wilson Chandler, Erick Aybar and Frances Tiafoe. For more information please visit www.rocnation.com. Follow Roc Nation on Twitter and Instagram @rocnation and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RocNation.
ABOUT ORACLE ARENA & O.co COLISEUM:
Oracle Arena and O.co Coliseum, managed by AEG Facilities, are the premiere sports and entertainment complexes in Northern California. Home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and MLB’s Oakland Athletics as well as host to concerts, family shows and special events. Additional information on Oracle Arena and O.co Coliseum, including a complete schedule of events can be found online at www.coliseum.com. Follow Oracle Arena on Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Snapchat @OracleArena and on Facebook www.faecbook.com/OracleArenaO.coColiseum.
New Disney Segment To Combine Consumer Products And Interactive Divisions
BURBANK, Calif., – In response to changing consumer preferences in a marketplace increasingly influenced by technology, The Walt Disney Company today announced a realignment of two of its divisions, Disney Consumer Products and Disney Interactive. The new combined segment, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI), will be run jointly by Leslie Ferraro, Co-Chair, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media and President, Disney Consumer Products; and Jimmy Pitaro, Co-Chair, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media and President, Disney Interactive.
“Both Disney Interactive and Disney Consumer Products have a strong track record of connecting people to their favorite stories and characters,” said Tom Staggs, Chief Operating Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “As technology and digital entertainment continue to evolve, a shared innovation strategy will enable this new segment to create unique and engaging products and experiences that exceed consumers’ expectations.”
The new structure is designed to share technological expertise and maximize opportunities and efficiencies across two divisions that have increasingly become focused on similar objectives of delivering cutting-edge, interactive consumer experiences and products. In addition, the change will more effectively leverage Disney’s extensive licensing structure and retail relationships across both segments.
“The timing of this announcement could not be better, with both divisions seeing great success in the marketplace with technology-driven initiatives alongside our more traditional lines of business,” said Leslie Ferraro, Co-Chair, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, and President, Disney Consumer Products.
“We are looking forward to leveraging Disney Interactive’s digital, technological and mobile expertise to explore the unlimited possibilities that this partnership represents,” said Jimmy Pitaro, Co-Chair, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, and President, Disney Interactive.
A new team called DCPI Labs will focus on using cutting edge technologies to create new immersive products. DCPI Labs will report directly to Ms. Ferraro and Mr. Pitaro.
Disney Publishing Worldwide, a leading publisher of children’s books that has increasingly blended technology with storytelling to create interactive story-based digital experiences, will also report jointly to Ms. Ferraro and Mr. Pitaro.
Functional areas—including Finance, Strategy and Business Development, Technology, Human Resources and Communications—will be combined into joint teams reporting to both Mr. Pitaro and Ms. Ferraro.
The traditional consumer products portfolio—product development, licensing, retail relationship management, and more—will continue under Ms. Ferraro’s leadership. Mr. Pitaro will continue to manage social and mobile games, Asia games, online media and sales, and Disney Infinity.
As a result of the new structure, Disney plans to report the combined businesses as one segment for financial reporting purposes as of the beginning of fiscal 2016.
– See more at: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-news/press-releases/2015/06/new-disney-segment-combine-consumer-products-and-interactive-divisions#sthash.OfHIdABt.dpuf
Wide-ranging Sustainability Strategy in Place for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Two days before the Preliminary Draw, Saint Petersburg has hosted an important milestone on the road to Russia 2018 with the launch of the FIFA World Cup Sustainability Strategy. FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) will implement a broad range of activities to ensure that the planning and delivery of this mega-event reduces the potential negative impact and maximises the positive effects on people, the economy and the environment.
“The FIFA World Cup is the biggest single-sport competition in the world. Organising it in a sustainable manner is a major challenge. The scale of the event inevitably has an impact that must be evaluated and mitigated, but also represents a unique opportunity to contribute to a positive legacy in Russia,” said FIFA’s Head of Sustainability, Federico Addiechi.
Experiences from past FIFA World Cups and international standards have helped to define the priorities for the event in Russia. These were then reviewed by key stakeholders, including representatives of NGOs, UN agencies, commercial affiliates, host cities, regions and various government agencies.
“The FIFA World Cup and this sustainability strategy will drive innovative standards and practices forward in many different areas. Our holistic approach covers social, economic and environmental matters,” said the LOC’s Head of Sustainability, Milana Verkhunova.
“This process has been an inclusive one, closely involving stakeholders in the strategy’s development. On racism and discrimination, the World Cup represents a great opportunity to raise awareness and implement initiatives that can have a real impact,” added the Chief of the Anti-Discrimination Section at the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, Yuri Boychenko.
FIFA and the LOC will invest over USD 20 million in order to implement various projects emanating from the strategy. For a list of the activities planned, a background paper with further details as well as the complete strategy are available on FIFA.com.
The Minions are Taking Over McDonald’s Across the Globe
The Minions from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment are taking over McDonald’s restaurants and bringing fun to customers of all ages around the world in one of the company’s biggest global promotions. From the U.S., Brazil and Spain to China and Australia, customers of all ages are experiencing a wide range of Minion excitement from McDonald’s. Minions, a prequel in the Despicable Me global film franchise, debuts in U.S. theaters in July.
Minionized Restaurant and Happy Meal Toys
McDonald’s and Minions share the love of yellow and bringing fun to families around the world. The most “Minionized” restaurant is located in the heart of Chicago with more than 400 Minions appearing on the outside of the restaurant – from top-to-bottom windows and the drive-thru to tabletops and the front counter – taking nearly 50 hours to assemble. Today’s reveal at the company’s iconic restaurant is timed with the launch of the North American Minions Happy Meal on July 3. In addition, markets around the world will feature exclusive Happy Meal toys celebrating key Minion moments from the film.
Minion-inspired Menu Items
To celebrate the Minions favorite food, “BA-NA-NA,” McDonald’s is offering special banana-inspired menu items in select countries. In the U.S., customers can enjoy a new Go-GURT® Low-Fat Strawberry-Banana Yogurt available in both Happy Meals and ala carte, and McDonald’s Australia featured fresh bananas for a limited time as part of its special Minions Happy Meal. Banana favorites for other members of the family include a BananaChocolate McFlurry being offered in several markets in Asia and the Middle East. Customers in Austria can enjoy a banana shake, while McDonald’s Brazil is featuring Minion-shaped potato cakes.
Social Media Take-Over
Minion surprises are appearing on McDonald’s social channels as well, including a “24 Hour take over” of McDonald’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube with fun Minion-centric posts #MinionsAtMcDonalds. Additionally, McDonald’s worked closely with leading YouTube, Vine and Instagram content creators across the globe to develop fun, prankster videos inspired by the mischievousness of the Minions. The videos are appearing on each of the creator’s sites:
SketchSHE (Australia)
https://youtu.be/QI532_0S1nc
Rahat (U.S.)
Alex Holtti (Denmark)
https://vine.co/v/e50PznXtVOQ
https://vine.co/v/eiMlKEF02gr
(Additional Vines will post July 2nd, 9th & 16th)
FHproductions (Hong Kong)
https://instagram.com/p/4oWRJWirws/?taken-by=fhproductionhk
(Additional Vines will post July 4th & 6th)
Lucas Rangel (Brazil)
https://instagram.com/p/4VOEWFRkcS/
https://instagram.com/p/4NYA2_RkSQ/
https://instagram.com/p/4QFyWnxkTf/
https://vine.co/v/eie17x2aZKw
https://vine.co/v/e5vMUOz2YhA
Minion Mania at McDonald’s
McDonald’s markets across the globe are featuring additional fun promotions for consumers of all ages. In the U.S., starting July 7 customers (13+) can play like a Minion in the “Minion Mania at McDonald’s” game. Customers who buy select menu items, including the Egg McMuffin® sandwich, Big Mac® sandwich and 10-piece Chicken McNuggets®, can win instantly free McDonald’s menu items, trips to Universal Theme Parks, digital movie downloads or Minions movie tickets. In addition, customers can use the unique code found on most game pieces to enter online for a chance to win $250,000 each week for four weeks.
About Minions
The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression.
But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.
The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award® winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.
Featuring a soundtrack of hit music from the ’60s that still permeates our culture today, Minions is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda. Brian Lynch has written the screenplay for the 3D-CG comedy adventure, and Chris Renaud serves as executive producer of the film. www.minionsmovie.com
About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
About Illumination Entertainment
Illumination Entertainment, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, is one of the entertainment industry’s leading producers of all-audience event films. In July 2010, Illumination, which has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures, released its first film, Despicable Me, starring Steve Carell, which earned more than $540 million worldwide and launched a beloved global franchise. With the success of 2011’s Hop (more than $183 million worldwide), 2012’s Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax and 2013’s juggernaut Despicable Me 2, Illumination’s films have made almost $2 billion. Universal and Illumination’s next film Minions, starring Academy Award®-winner Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm, written by Brian Lynch, and directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, arrives in theaters on July 10, 2015. Fans may also experience Minion Mayhem in 3D with the Ultra-HD movie motion simulator adventure at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Online Gambling Firm 888 Reaches Agreement to Acquire Bwin.party for £898m
The boards of 888 and bwin.party are pleased to announce that they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended offer pursuant to which Offeror will acquire the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of bwin.party. Offeror has been newly incorporated in Gibraltar for the purposes of the Offer. It is proposed that the Offer will be effected by means of a scheme of arrangement of bwin.party under Part VIII of the Gibraltar Companies Act.
· Under the terms of the Offer, bwin.party Shareholders will be entitled to receive:
For each bwin.party Share: 39.45 pence in cash
and
0.404 New 888 Shares
· Based on the closing price of 160.00 pence per 888 Share on 16 July 2015 (being the last practicable date prior to the release of this announcement), the Offer represents:
o a value of approximately 104.09 pence per bwin.party Share;
o a premium of approximately 16.4 per cent. to the closing price per bwin.party Share of 89.40 pence on 14 May 2015 (being the last Business Day prior to bwin.party’s announcement on 15 May 2015 in relation to its discussions with third parties regarding a variety of possible business combinations);
o a premium of approximately 24.1 per cent. to the volume weighted average closing price per bwin.party Share of 83.87 pence in the last three months prior to 14 May 2015; and
o a value of approximately £898.3 million for bwin.party’s entire issued and to be issued share capital.
· The Offer will include a Mix and Match Facility, so that bwin.party Shareholders will be able to elect to vary the proportions of cash and New 888 Shares they receive, subject to offsetting elections made by other bwin.party Shareholders. The Mix and Match Facility will not change the total number of New 888 Shares to be issued by 888 or the total cash consideration to be paid to bwin.party Shareholders pursuant to the Offer.
· 888 is one of the world’s most popular online gaming entertainment and solutions providers, offering casino, poker, bingo and sports betting products and is ranked second in global poker liquidity. 888 is traded on the London Stock Exchange with a premium listing and is incorporated and headquartered in Gibraltar. As of close of trading at the last practicable date prior to the release of this announcement, 888 had a market capitalisation of approximately £570.8 million.
· The 888 Board and the bwin.party Board believe the Offer represents a transformational opportunity for both 888 and bwin.party and offers the potential to enhance shareholder value. By combining the complementary businesses of 888 and bwin.party, the 888 Board and the bwin.party Board anticipate that the Enlarged Group will benefit from significantly enhanced scale, an enhanced product offering and significant cost and revenue synergies. It is expected that such cost synergies will amount to not less than US$70 million per annum (before tax) by the end of the 2018 financial year. To the extent the Studios strategy described below is approved and ultimately implemented by the 888 Board, it will reduce some of the identified cost synergies. However, the 888 Board will only implement the Studios strategy if any shortfall in the synergies would be more than offset by the revenues gained and the value opportunity created.
· The acquisition of bwin.party by Offeror is expected to be earnings enhancing for 888 (excluding one-off costs) in the first full financial year of ownership.[1]
· The bwin.party Board and 888 Board have also identified a number of strategic options to be considered in respect of the business and operations of the Enlarged Group. One of these opportunities is to create potential additional value for the Enlarged Group’s shareholders by building the bwin.party technology business called “Studios”. Subject to the 888 Board determining both that Studios has acquired the requisite critical mass as well as presenting an attractive business case, the Enlarged Group’s strategy would include establishing the Studios B2B business as a stand-alone business and potentially spinning it off into a separate listed vehicle (its shares being distributed to the then existing 888 Shareholders), once appropriate service level agreements with the rest of the Enlarged Group have been finalised and the integration of the Enlarged Group’s B2C businesses completed.
· It is proposed that Liz Catchpole, a bwin.party independent non-executive director and Chair of the bwin.party Audit & Risk Committee, and Martin Weigold, bwin.party’s Chief Financial Officer, will join the 888 Board as an independent non-executive director and a non-executive director, respectively, on Completion. In addition, it is proposed that Norbert Teufelberger, bwin.party’s Chief Executive Officer, who has 15 years’ experience of running an online sports book, will, under the terms of an agreement to be agreed with 888, provide consultancy services as and when required by the 888 Board with regard to the Enlarged Group’s sports-betting offering.
· The cash consideration payable by Offeror under the terms of the Offer will be financed through a new US$600 million term loan credit facility.
· Following completion of the Offer, bwin.party Shareholders will own approximately 48.9 per cent. of the issued ordinary share capital of the Enlarged Group.
· The bwin.party Directors, who have been so advised by Deutsche Bank, consider the terms of the Offer to be fair and reasonable. In providing advice to the bwin.party Directors, Deutsche Bank has taken into account the commercial assessments of the bwin.party Directors.
· Accordingly, the bwin.party Directors intend unanimously to recommend that bwin.party Shareholders vote in favour of the Scheme at the Court Meeting and each of the resolutions to be proposed at the General Meeting as the bwin.party Directors have irrevocably undertaken to do, or procure to be done, in respect of their own beneficial holdings of 14,388,127 bwin.party Shares representing, in aggregate, approximately 1.7 per cent. of the ordinary share capital of bwin.party in issue on 16 July 2015 (being the last practicable date prior to the release of this announcement). Further details of these irrevocable undertakings are set out in Appendix III to this announcement.
· The Offer will be put to bwin.party Shareholders at the Court Meeting and at the General Meeting. In order to become effective, the Scheme must be approved by a majority in number of the Scheme Shareholders voting at the Court Meeting, either in person or by proxy, representing at least three-quarters in value of the Scheme Shares voted at the Court Meeting. In addition, special resolutions implementing the Scheme and approving the related Capital Reduction must be passed by bwin.party Shareholders representing at least three-quarters of votes cast at the General Meeting.
· In addition to the irrevocable undertakings received from the bwin.party Directors, 888 and Offeror have received letters of intent to vote in favour of the Scheme at the Court Meeting and each of the resolutions to be proposed at the General Meeting from certain other bwin.party Shareholders in respect of an aggregate of 90,060,415 bwin.party Shares representing, in aggregate, approximately 10.9 per cent. of the ordinary share capital of bwin.party in issue on 16 July 2015 (being the last practicable date prior to the release of this announcement). Further details of these letters of intent are set out in Appendix III to this announcement.
· In total, therefore, 888 and Offeror have received either irrevocable undertakings or letters of intent to vote in favour of the Scheme at the Court Meeting and each of the resolutions to be proposed at the General Meeting over, in aggregate, 104,448,542 bwin.party Shares, representing approximately 12.7 per cent. of the ordinary share capital of bwin.party in issue on 16 July 2015 (being the last practicable date prior to the release of this announcement).
· The Offer will be put to the vote of existing 888 Shareholders as a class 1 transaction for the purpose of the UK Listing Rules.
· The 888 Directors consider the Offer to be in the best interests of 888 and the 888 Shareholders as a whole and intend unanimously to recommend that 888 Shareholders vote in favour of each of the resolutions to be proposed at the 888 General Meeting which will be convened in connection with the Offer as the 888 Directors have irrevocably undertaken to do, or procure to be done, in respect of their own beneficial holdings of 1,638,471 888 Shares representing, in aggregate, approximately 0.5 per cent. of the ordinary share capital of 888 in issue on 16 July 2015 (being the last practicable date prior to the release of this announcement).
· In addition to the irrevocable undertakings received from the 888 Directors, Offeror has received irrevocable undertakings from certain 888 Shareholders representing, in aggregate, approximately 58.8 per cent. of the ordinary share capital of 888 in issue on 16 July 2015 (being the last practicable date prior to the release of this announcement), to vote in favour of all the resolutions to be proposed at the 888 General Meeting.
· The 888 Directors have received financial advice from Investec Bank plc and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated in relation to the Offer. In providing their advice to the 888 Directors, Investec Bank plc and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated have relied upon the commercial assessments of the Offer of the 888 Directors.
· The Offer is subject to the Conditions and further terms set out in Appendix I to this announcement including the sanction of the Scheme by the Court, the satisfaction of certain regulatory conditions, approval of the Offer and certain matters in connection therewith by 888 Shareholders and Admission to Trading of the New 888 Shares.
· bwin.party, Offeror and 888 have entered into the Co-operation Agreement in relation to the Offer pursuant to which, among other things, a break payment may be payable by Offeror or bwin.party if the Offer lapses in certain circumstances. Further details are set out in paragraph 20 of this announcement.
· The Scheme Document, containing further information about the Offer, notices convening the Court Meeting and the General Meeting and the expected timetable, will be made available by 888 on its website at www.888holdingsplc.com and by bwin.party on its website at www.bwinparty.com as soon as practicable.
· The Prospectus, containing information about the New 888 Shares and the Enlarged Group, is expected to be published by 888 at the same time as the Scheme Document is sent to bwin.party Shareholders. The Prospectus will be made available by 888 on the 888 website at www.888holdingsplc.com. It is also expected that the 888 Class 1 Circular, containing details of the Offer and notice of the 888 General Meeting at which resolutions will be proposed for the approval of the Offer by 888 Shareholders, will be posted to 888 Shareholders at the same time as the Scheme Document is posted to bwin.party Shareholders.
· It is currently expected that the Scheme Document, the Prospectus and the 888 Class 1 Circular will be posted by the end of August 2015.
· It is currently expected that the Scheme will become effective by the end of Q4 in 2015 or in the early part of Q1 in 2016, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the Conditions and certain further terms set out in Appendix I to this announcement.
· Allen & Overy LLP is acting as legal adviser to 888 and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is acting as legal adviser to bwin.party.
Commenting on the Offer, Brian Mattingley, Executive Chairman of 888, said:
“This is a transformational opportunity for 888 in the consolidating online gaming industry, which is expected to grow significantly over the coming years. The Enlarged Group will benefit from significantly enhanced scale, an improved product offering as well as significant cost and revenue synergies. It delivers a substantial premium to bwin.party Shareholders whilst also giving them the opportunity to participate in this value creation opportunity. 888’s management have a well-established track record of delivering outperformance since 2011 and we look forward to working with our new colleagues to create a global leader.”
Commenting on the Offer, Philip Yea, Chairman of bwin.party, said:
“A year ago we set out to explore industry consolidation opportunities whilst working to improve our core business. We have made substantial progress on both counts and our announcement today marks the first step in a new phase in our short history. Bringing our two groups together will generate substantial financial synergies for the benefit of both sets of shareholders and create a strong player with the breadth of product, brands and geographic coverage to grow faster than either business would be able to achieve stand-alone. Drawing upon a wealth of experience accumulated over the past few years, our management team looks forward to working with new colleagues to realise the considerable potential that this business combination presents.”
Special Olympics Flame of Hope Arrives at Morgan’s Wonderland
SAN ANTONIO – Morgan’s Wonderland and Toyota celebrated Special Olympics athletes at the San Antonio-based family theme park designed with special-needs individuals in mind.
Local Special Olympics Athletes Scott Mena and Kristen Medley participated by cheering on Toyota Texas’ General Manager of the Assembly Division Brad Nye and Morgan’s Wonderland Founder Gordon Hartman and park namesake Morgan Hartman as they carried the Flame of Hope in a half-mile torch run around the park’s scenic lake en route to the 2015 Special Olympics World Games.
“Special Olympics has such a positive, strong impact on athletes and those who participate, and everyone at Toyota is proud to play a supporting role in the World Games and Special Olympics USA,” said Brad Nye, general manager, assembly division, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas. “We’re looking forward to following the progress of all the local athletes and cheering them on!”
“Being a part of the Unified Relay Across America is a truly gratifying and humbling experience,” said Gordon Hartman, founder of Morgan’s Wonderland. “It is because of our team members’ commitment to inclusion, and partners like Toyota that have strong community-based partnerships, that we can participate in meaningful events such as this. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of the Special Olympics athletes from Texas!”
Yesterday’s San Antonio ceremony was part of an ongoing celebration from Toyota as the Official Automotive Sponsor of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, taking place in Los Angeles from July 25 to August 2. With more than 7,000 athletes, 177 represented countries and 30,000 volunteers, the 2015 Special Olympics World Games will be the largest sports and humanitarian event this year.
In addition to torch stops, Toyota dealers nationwide are supporting Special Olympics USA athletes and coaches in their journey to the Games through a fundraising program.
“Toyota really stepped up to show their support for Special Olympics Texas and our athletes,” said Margaret Larsen, President and CEO of Special Olympics Texas. “We are thankful for their leadership and commitment to helping develop our athletes and create communities of inclusion for all citizens.”
Texas has fourteen athletes competing at the World Games, as members of Special Olympics USA. Also representing the Lone Star state will be nine volunteer coaches who will be serving as head and assistant coaches in an array of sports for Special Olympics USA athletes from throughout the country.
Toyota’s San Antonio manufacturing plant also boasts a Business Practice Group dedicated solely to those that have family members or friends dealing with special needs, ToyotAbility.
TMMTX is the home of the Toyota Tundra full-size pickup, and also produces the ever-popular mid-size Tacoma. Founded on Texas Tradition in 1794, the oldest working ranch in Texas was acquired by Toyota in 2003. The manufacturing facility occupies 2,000 acres of the ranchland south of downtown San Antonio and began operations in 2006.
As a good corporate citizen, Toyota contributes to economic and social development in local communities, giving back to the communities where its team members live and work. When Toyota broke ground in San Antonio, it demonstrated its commitment to the community by providing donations supporting local organizations.
The Special Olympics event complements Toyota’s local investment in employment, philanthropic efforts and environmental responsibility. To date, Toyota has donated more than $700 million to non-profits across the U.S.
Morgan’s Wonderland is one of many highly visible initiatives of The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation to help those with special needs. Encompassing 25 acres, the unique, colorful, safe and affordable theme park offers fun for all ages and abilities. It’s located in Northeast San Antonio, a half-mile west of IH 35 at the intersection of Wurzbach Parkway and Thousand Oaks Drive in what once was a quarry. VacationHomeRentals.com, an affiliate of Trip Advisor, has named Morgan’s Wonderland the “best family attraction” in Texas.
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About Toyota.
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world’s top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 42,000 people (more than 33,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.67 million cars and trucks (more than 2.35 million in the U.S.) in 2014 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.
Diversity and inclusion are long standing priorities for Toyota, grounded in our core values of respect and continuous improvement for people. Diversity and inclusion are central to all aspects of Toyota – our customers, employees, dealers, suppliers and the local communities where we operate. For more information on Toyota’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, visit www.toyota.com/usa/diversity. For more information on Toyota’s commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/community.
About the Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015
With 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches representing 177 countries, along with 30,000 volunteers and an anticipated 500,000 spectators, the 2015 Special Olympics World Games – being staged in Los Angeles July 25 – August 2, 2015 – will be the largest sports and humanitarian event anywhere in the world in 2015, and the single biggest event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympic Games. The 2015 Special Olympics World Games, with the unparalleled spirit, enthusiasm, teamwork, joy and displays of courage and skill that are hallmarks of all Special Olympics events, will feature 25 Olympic-style sports in venues throughout the Los Angeles region. The Opening Ceremony, to be held July 25, 2015 in the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games, is expected to attract 80,000 spectators. On April 30, 2014, LA2015 and ESPN announced a global programming deal that will see ESPN bring coverage of World Games to millions of fans around the world. LA2015, the Games Organizing Committee, is a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information on the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, including volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.LA2015.org and on social with #ReachUpLA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Special Olympics USA
Special Olympics USA will send a 481 member delegation of athletes, coaches and official delegates to represent the United States at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games, being held July 25-August 2, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. The “home team” will include 344 athletes and Unified Partners, representing all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Athletes will compete in 17 sports, including aquatics, athletics (track & field), basketball, bocce, bowling, cycling, equestrian, golf, gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), kayaking, powerlifting, sailing, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. The team includes several Special Olympics Unified Sports® teams, where people with and without intellectual disability compete together, as teammates. Special Olympics USA is supported by 96 volunteer coaches and 41 volunteer sports and management team members. Official sponsors for Special Olympics USA include Finish Line, Toyota, Champion, The Coca-Cola Company, American Federation of Teachers, Tommie Copper, Midwest Trophy Manufacturing, KPMG – Golf team sponsor, Mattel – Cycling team sponsor, and Speedo USA – Swimming team official supplier. To learn more and to follow the team, visit http://www.specialolympicsusa.org/, Facebook – www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsUSA, Twitter – @SpecialOlyUSA, Instagram – SpecialOlympicsUSA.
About Morgan’s Wonderland
Morgan’s Wonderland is one of many highly visible initiatives of The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation to help those with special needs. Encompassing 25 acres, the unique, colorful, safe and affordable theme park offers fun for all ages and abilities. It’s located in Northeast San Antonio, a half-mile west of IH 35 at the intersection of Wurzbach Parkway and Thousand Oaks Drive in what once was a quarry. VacationHomeRentals.com, an affiliate of Trip Advisor, has named Morgan’s Wonderland the “best family attraction” in Texas.
Showtime® Partners With Roku® To Offer Its Stand-Alone Streaming Service Over The Internet
NEW YORK – On the heels of announcing the SHOWTIME stand-alone streaming service, Showtime has partnered with Roku, Inc.’s Roku® players and Roku TV™ models and Sony Network Entertainment International LLC’s PlayStation® Vue for the launch in early July. SHOWTIME is a brand which has been embraced by consumers as the home for cutting edge original programming, sports and movies, and it is the only premium streaming service to offer customers live East and West Coast feeds. SHOWTIME will be available through these new internet distributors on all supported streaming platforms prior to the highly-anticipated July 12th season premieres of the critically-acclaimed hit series RAY DONOVAN, starring Liev Schreiber, and MASTERS OF SEX, starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan. The announcement was made today by Matthew C. Blank, Chairman and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc.
“We are thrilled that Roku and Sony have come on board for our launch in early July,” said Blank. “Both platforms have distinct and loyal audiences and together they will build on our service and greatly expand the number of homes that will have access to the SHOWTIME service over the internet. This is fundamental to Showtime’s strategy of putting the choice in the hands of the consumers regarding how, when and on what unique devices they watch our programming.”
“Showtime has been a great partner over the years and Roku’s inclusion as an initial launch platform for the SHOWTIME streaming service speaks volumes to our shared commitment to offer consumers the best entertainment experience available,” said Steve Shannon, general manager of Content and Services at Roku. “Today more than ever, consumers want choice in how they access entertainment to view what they want, when they want it. The addition of SHOWTIME to the Roku platform helps provide that choice for millions of Roku customers and delivers TV on their terms.”
“We’re thrilled to launch SHOWTIME within PlayStation Vue,” said Dwayne Benefield, Vice President, Head of PlayStation Vue at Sony Network Entertainment International. “We can’t think of a better partner with whom we can begin to extend our revolutionary television experience to a nationwide audience.”
Roku’s customer base will be able to subscribe to SHOWTIME by going to the SHOWTIME app within the Roku Channel store on Roku players and Roku TV™ models anywhere in the U.S., for one monthly price ($10.99). Roku customers who sign up in July will be offered a 30-day free trial subscription to SHOWTIME. Roku customers simply need to go to the SHOWTIME app on their Roku device to sign up and create a SHOWTIME account. Subscribers can use their SHOWTIME account to watch the service across all SHOWTIME stand-alone service supported devices as well as online at www.showtime.com.
Consumers who subscribe to SHOWTIME on the PlayStation Vue cloud-based TV service can access the network’s programming nationwide for an a la carte monthly price of $10.99.
Consumers who subscribe to SHOWTIME either through the stand-alone service on Roku and Apple devices or through the PlayStation Vue will have the network’s live broadcast of the east and west coast feeds, as well as unlimited on demand access to every season of award-winning SHOWTIME original series, and hundreds of hours of movies, documentary and sports programming.
SHOWTIME and its award-winning, critically-acclaimed original programming continues to make its mark on the cultural landscape. The network is home to one of the most successful programming line-ups in all of television, with hits that include HOMELAND, RAY DONOVAN, THE AFFAIR, MASTERS OF SEX, PENNY DREADFUL, SHAMELESS, HOUSE OF LIES, NURSE JACKIE, HAPPYish, EPISODES and the anticipated new drama series BILLIONS. Original series play a key part in the network’s programming mix, along with box office hits, comedy and music specials, provocative documentaries, and hard-hitting sports programming, including the flagship franchise SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® and the news magazine programs 60 MINUTES SPORTS and JIM ROME ON SHOWTIME. The company’s diverse slate of films includes Boyhood, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Philomena, St. Vincent, The Imitation Game and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.
About CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company that creates and distributes industry-leading content across a variety of platforms to audiences around the world. The Company has businesses with origins that date back to the dawn of the broadcasting age as well as new ventures that operate on the leading edge of media. CBS owns the most-watched television network in the U.S. and one of the world’s largest libraries of entertainment content, making its brand —“the Eye” — one of the most recognized in business. The Company’s operations span virtually every field of media and entertainment, including cable, publishing, radio, local TV, film, and interactive and socially responsible media. CBS’s businesses include CBS Television Network, The CW (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), CBS Television Studios, CBS Global Distribution Group (CBS Studios International and CBS Television Distribution), CBS Consumer Products, CBS Home Entertainment, CBS Interactive, CBS Films, Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network, Pop (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Lionsgate), Smithsonian Networks, Simon & Schuster, CBS Television Stations, CBS Radio and CBS EcoMedia. For more information, go to www.cbscorporation.com.
FIFA Re-elects Blatter as it’s President: Takes Responsibility For Storm And Outlines Way Forward With World Cups
A press conference was held this Saturday at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, following Friday’s FIFA Congress, which decided on the re-election of Joseph S. Blatter for a fifth term in office as FIFA President, and only minutes after an extraordinary Executive Committee meeting – the first with the new composition.
Here’s a summary of what FIFA President Blatter had to say:
The decisions concerning the next FIFA World Cups
“We decided that the slots per confederations for 2018 and 2022 wouldn’t change. We will stick to 32 teams: the same number and the same distribution from the last FIFA World Cups. Furthermore, with respect to the World Cup 2026, we confirmed that in accordance with the FIFA Statutes – art. 80, par. 4 stipulates that “the right to host the event shall not be awarded to members of the same Confederation for two consecutive editions of the FIFA World Cup™” – member associations from the Asian Football Confederation would not be able to bid. All others will be able to present bids.”
The unity of the Executive Committee
“What I said in my statements yesterday is the following: I will take responsibility for the storm, but I will share it with the Executive Committee that met today. Because it’s the government who has to take this responsibility. And this government is elected by the Confederations. However, I will shoulder this responsibility: I said this in the Congress and I say it again here.
“The Executive Committee has reaffirmed its unity and solidarity going forward. We will work with our institutions, our bodies – the Ethics Committee, but also the Disciplinary Committee, Associations Committee and Audit and Compliance Committee. That way we will avoid similar future situations: where there are surprises that catch us on the back foot.
“Of course I’m relieved: for being re-elected and secondly because this morning there was a good atmosphere in the Executive Committee and that guaranteed to me I’m not alone in this. We’re in football: those who lose can win tomorrow. I’m the president of all, also of those who didn’t vote for me.”
The situation between Israel and Palestine
“For the 3rd time consecutively at a FIFA Congress the situation between two federations, Israel and Palestine, has emerged. Yesterday we witnessed how Palestine acted with a big heart. They were convinced that they could win a vote to suspend the other federation, but that didn’t happen: they amended their own proposal and removed it. This is an exceptional gesture that deserves to be commended, and I hope that this gesture will serve as a happy omen in the region between the two federations, but also between the two countries. Maybe football can be the precursor towards a solution that everybody wants. The two federations are independent, but they have proved that they can work together.”
The idea of an office for professional football
“I also said yesterday that in the future FIFA would set up a department, an office for professional football. We have a memorandum of understanding with FIFPro and the clubs - and I think we can also include the leagues. This is something which I think was welcomed by all the interested parties, because professional football plays an important role. Obviously there are representatives in different FIFA committees but it's far better to have an entity that addresses them directly.”
The events in the week leading up to the 65th FIFA Congress and their consequences
“Everyone is responsible for their own ethical and moral behaviour. I, as FIFA President, cannot speak on behalf of others. Let me repeat what I said before, the members of the Executive Committee are not elected by the same body as I. I am elected by a Congress, they are elected by confederations. We wanted to introduce a better moral control of the members but in this reform process it was then downgraded upon the request of UEFA, meaning that every confederation is now responsible for the moral and ethical behaviour of its members.
“We have contacted the partners, last week. We have exchanged letters and we will start now to bring back the reputation of FIFA. We will contact our partners and we will bring them all back in the right situation. We have already planned a personal visit.”
Introducing Apple Music — All The Ways You Love Music. All in One Place
SAN FRANCISCO ― Apple® today unveiled Apple Music™, a single, intuitive app that combines the best ways to enjoy music — all in one place. Apple Music is a revolutionary streaming music service, a pioneering worldwide live radio station from Apple broadcasting 24 hours a day and a great new way for music fans to connect with their favorite artists. Apple Music combines the largest and most diverse collection of music on the planet with the expertise of world-class music experts who have programmed playlists for your iPhone®, iPad®, iPod touch®, Mac®, PC, Apple TV® and Android phones.* Apple Music will be available starting on June 30 in over 100 countries.
“We love music, and the new Apple Music service puts an incredible experience at every fan’s fingertips,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “All the ways people love enjoying music come together in one app — a revolutionary streaming service, live worldwide radio and an exciting way for fans to connect with artists.”
“Apple Music is really going to move the needle for fans and artists,” said Jimmy Iovine. “Online music has become a complicated mess of apps, services and websites. Apple Music brings the best features together for an experience every music lover will appreciate.”
Apple Music
Apple Music is a revolutionary streaming service and app that puts the entire Apple Music catalog at your fingertips across your favorite devices. Starting with the music you already know — whether from the iTunes Store® or ripped CDs — your music now lives in one place alongside the Apple Music catalog with over 30 million songs. You can stream any song, album or playlist you choose — or better yet, let Apple Music do the work for you.
Curation is the soul of every playlist created on Apple Music. Apple has hired the most talented music experts from around the world, dedicated to creating the perfect playlists based on your preferences, and they become better curators the more you listen. The “For You” section of Apple Music provides a fresh mix of albums, new releases and playlists, which have been personalized just for you.
In addition to human curation, Siri® is also dedicated to helping you enjoy great music and have fun with Apple Music. Ask Siri to, “Play me the best songs from 1994,” “Play the best FKA twigs song,” or “What was the number one song in February 2011?”
Apple Music Radio
Beats 1℠, Apple’s first ever live radio station dedicated entirely to music and music culture, will broadcast live to over 100 countries. Beats 1 is a 24-hour listening experience led by influential DJs Zane Lowe in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenuga in London. Listeners around the globe will hear the same great programming at the same time. Exciting programs on Beats 1 will offer exclusive interviews, guest hosts and the best of what’s going on in the world of music.
Apple has also redesigned radio with human curation taking the lead. Apple Music Radio gives you stations created by some of the world’s finest radio DJs. The new stations range in genres from indie rock to classical and folk to funk, with each one expertly curated. With membership, you can skip as many songs as you like, so you can change the tune without changing the dial.
Apple Music Connect
Artists and fans now have an incredible way to connect with one another directly in Apple Music with Connect. Through Connect, artists can share lyrics, backstage photos, videos or even release their latest song directly to fans directly from their iPhone. Fans can comment on or like anything an artist has posted, and share it via Messages, Facebook, Twitter and email. And when you comment, the artist can respond directly to you.
Pricing & Availability
Starting on June 30, music fans around the world are invited to a 3-month free membership, after which a $9.99/month subscription fee will apply. There will also be a family plan providing service for up to six family members available for just $14.99/month.
Requires initial sign up. At the end of the trial period, the membership will automatically renew and payment method will be charged on a monthly basis until auto-renewal is turned off in account settings. Family plan requires iCloud® Family Sharing. See www.apple.com/icloud/family-sharing for more information.
*Apple Music is available on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and PC starting June 30. Apple Music will be coming to Apple TV and Android phones this fall.
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, the Mac and Apple Watch. Apple’s three software platforms — iOS, OS X and watchOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.
GameStop Corp. Announces Agreement to Acquire Geeknet, Inc. while Geeknet Terminates Agreement with Hot Topic
GRAPEVINE, Texas & FAIRFAX, Va. GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), a family of specialty retail brands that makes the most popular technologies affordable and simple, and Geeknet, Inc. (Nasdaq: GKNT) (“Geeknet”), the parent company of ThinkGeek and ThinkGeek Solutions, today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which GameStop will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Geeknet’s common stock for $20.00 per share in cash. The transaction has been approved by the board of directors of both companies and will be completed by means of a tender offer. The transaction has a total equity value of approximately $140 million, including $37 million of cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2015.
Geeknet also announced that it had terminated its previously announced merger agreement with Hot Topic, Inc. (“Hot Topic”). Following discussion with both GameStop and Hot Topic, the Board of Directors of Geeknet determined that the GameStop transaction represented a superior proposal. Geeknet will pay Hot Topic a termination fee pursuant to the Hot Topic agreement, for which GameStop has agreed to reimburse Geeknet.
Paul Raines, chief executive officer of GameStop, stated, “This acquisition creates value to all stakeholders involved. The addition of Geeknet is an important expansion of our global multichannel platform and we are excited to leverage their product development expertise to broaden our product offering in the fast-growing collectibles category and deepen relationships with our existing customer base.”
“Our Board and management team believe this transaction is in the best interest of Geeknet and its stockholders,” said Kathryn McCarthy, chief executive officer of Geeknet. “As a part of GameStop’s family of brands, Geeknet will be well-positioned to achieve our goals of increasing our brand awareness and expanding our product offerings.”
The transaction provides a natural extension of GameStop’s existing product offering and is expected to add an immediate incremental $100+ million in annual net sales. The acquisition of Geeknet will enhance shareholder value through the following strategic benefits:
Expands GameStop’s diversified revenue stream by adding ThinkGeek, the No. 1 brand in the fast growing collectibles category
Once completed, the acquisition is expected to increase operating earnings, and has a targeted IRR that exceeds 20%
Extends the company’s global, multichannel retail expertise – online, pickup-at-store, web-in-store and standalone retail
Utilizes Geeknet’s proprietary product innovation capabilities and established portfolio of premier, hard-to-secure licenses
Leverages GameStop’s operational expertise and infrastructure to address Geeknet’s profitability
Drive deeper engagement with GameStop’s core customers, in particular the 40 million global PowerUp Rewards members, by offering them exclusive, unique and cutting edge merchandise related to their favorite entertainment
Under the terms of the definitive agreement, GameStop will commence a tender offer for all outstanding common shares of Geeknet, at $20.00 per share in cash. The tender offer is conditioned on Geeknet’s stockholders tendering at least a majority of Geeknet’s outstanding shares in the tender offer, clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other customary closing conditions. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of GameStop’s second quarter 2015. Geeknet stockholders representing approximately 21% of outstanding shares have committed to participate in the tender offer.
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. served as financial advisor and Pepper Hamilton LLP served as legal advisor to GameStop. Guggenheim Securities served as Geeknet’s exclusive financial advisor and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz served as its legal advisor.
About GameStop
GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, is a global, multichannel video game, consumer electronics and wireless services retailer. GameStop operates more than 6,600 stores across 14 countries. The company’s consumer product network also includes www.gamestop.com; www.Kongregate.com, a leading browser-based game site; and Game Informer® magazine, the world’s leading print and digital video game publication. In addition, our Technology Brands segment includes our Simply Mac and Spring Mobile businesses. Simply Mac, www.simplymac.com, operates 71 stores, selling the full line of Apple products, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones and offering Apple certified warranty and repair services. Spring Mobile, http://springmobile.com, sells post-paid AT&T services and wireless products through its 410 AT&T branded stores and offers pre-paid wireless services, devices and related accessories through its 68 Cricket branded stores in select markets throughout the United States.
General information about GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company’s corporate website. Follow GameStop on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/GameStop and find GameStop on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/GameStop.
About Geeknet
Geeknet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GKNT) is the parent company of ThinkGeek and ThinkGeek Solutions. ThinkGeek is the premier retailer for the global geek community. Since 1999, ThinkGeek has been creating a world where everyone can express their inner geek, embrace their passions, and connect with each other. ThinkGeek Solutions, which distributes video game-themed merchandise through licensed web-stores for the gaming community, joined our Geeknet family in August 2014. Our obsession is creating and sharing unique and authentic product experiences that stimulate our fans’ imaginations and fuel their geek core. We believe that there is a geek in everyone and that it should be celebrated. Want to learn more? Check out thinkgeek.com or geek.net.
Caesars Entertainment Expands Total Rewards Air, Signs Three Year Deal with Sun Country and Via Airlines
LAS VEGAS, – Caesars Entertainment Corporation’s Total Rewards Air, the gaming industry’s largest domestic charter service, is enhancing its commercial operation by entering into long-term agreements with Sun Country and Via Airlines.
In addition, new technology by Total Rewards Air will allow for ease of booking flight and hotel packages beyond its traditional passenger base of Total Rewards members. The scheduled charter flights to Atlantic City, Laughlin, Nevada, Tunica and Biloxi, Mississippi, will include both invited members of the company’s award-winning loyalty program as well as retail guests seeking an escape to the leisure destinations.
“Expanding our service is a natural evolution of the program,” said Blake Segal, Caesars Entertainment Vice President of Global Operations. “Total Rewards Air allows our loyal guests to more easily access our resorts and also serves as an economic catalyst for these regions by opening the destinations to a new audience who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to travel to these locations.”
The expanded service will include more than 1,800 flights annually to the Total Rewards Air primary destination hubs of Atlantic City, Laughlin, Nevada, Tunica and Biloxi, Mississippi. Total Rewards Air flies more than 100,000 passengers per year. Sun Country Airlines and Via Airlines will serve as the main operating partners for Total Rewards Air and will service more than 100 origin cities across the United States including major North American markets such as Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Denver, Edmonton and Toronto, as well as smaller regional markets such as Monterrey, California, Bismarck, North Dakota, Midland, Texas and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Starting this summer, Sun Country Airlines will operate one Boeing 737-700 while Via Airlines will operate five Embraer 145 regional jets on behalf of Total Rewards Air. Via’s regional jets will operate from private aviation terminals (Fixed Based Operators) affording guests the opportunity to experience a true, VIP private jet experience eliminating the long lines and early check-in associated with commercial airline terminals.
“Sun Country is honored to be partnered with an iconic organization like Caesars Entertainment,” said Eric Curry, Sun Country Vice President of Sales and Customer Experience. “We are looking forward to providing Caesars’ guests with the high standard of service that is the hallmark of both of our companies.”
“Via Airlines has been operating flights for Caesars since 1997 and we are honored to continue and expand our relationship with Caesars and Total Rewards Air,” said Mitch Pizik, Via Airlines Executive Vice President of Marketing. “Through our fleet of owned and leased Embraer jets we look forward to expanding our relationship with one of the most recognizable brands in the world that is synonymous with quality and customer service.”
Summer flight routes are now available for booking. Visit TotalRewards.com/TotalRewardsAir for a complete schedule and additional information.
About Caesars Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: CZR) is the world’s most geographically diversified casino-entertainment company. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 77 years ago, Caesars has grown through development of new resorts, expansions and acquisitions, and now operates casinos on three continents. The company’s resorts operate primarily under the Harrah’s®, Caesars® and Horseshoe® brand names. Caesars also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos. Caesars Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. Caesars is committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation and recognizes the importance of being a responsible steward of the environment. For more information, please visit www.caesars.com.
About Via Airlines
Founded in 1997, Via has grown to become a leading air charter provider for gaming companies, sports teams and group charters. In addition, as the direct air carrier for Via Air, LLC, Via operates U.S Government Essential Air Service routes. For more information visit: www.flyviaair.com
About Sun Country
Sun Country Airlines (MN Airlines, LLC d.b.a. Sun Country Airlines) is based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. The award-winning airline, which flies to popular destinations across the U.S., Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, has earned a reputation for offering world-class service at an affordable price. Sun Country Airlines is ranked as one of the Top 10 Domestic Airlines by Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Survey, 2014. The airline offers vacation packages through Sun Country Vacations, a program that allows travelers to book airfare, hotel, rental cars, tour attractions and more in a single, convenient transaction. The Hometown Airline also offers Sun Country Charters-taking your private charter group virtually anywhere with a commitment to reliable and customized service. For more information, visit suncountry.com.