ATOM.COM DEBUTS WITH ALL-COMEDY WEBSITE, ORIGINAL WEB SHOWS, AND MULTIPLATFORM DISTRIBUTION INCLUDING ATOM TV ON COMEDY CENTRAL

Online video pioneer AtomFilms relaunches as Atom.com, becoming Comedy Central’s exclusive partner for development and distribution of broadband programming.
Verizon Wireless signs on for convergent sponsorship across Atom.com, Atom TV, and V Cast.
Atom.com premieres original comedy series from Tim & Eric, Waverly Films, Ivan Reitman, Josh Greenbaum, Ryan Levin & Nye Warburton

NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO, June 26, 2008 — Viacom's (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTVN Entertainment Group today announced the launch of Atom.com, a digital comedy network for young men that distributes original content across the Internet, mobile phones, and television. The Atom.com website debuts today at www.atom.com, following the premiere of the Atom TV series on Comedy Central in latenight earlier this week. Verizon Wireless has signed on as the launch sponsor of both Atom.com and Atom TV, and is rebroadcasting Atom TV on its V Cast mobile network.

The launch is the product of the strategic partnership between Comedy Central and AtomFilms, the online video pioneer that was acquired by MTV Networks in 2006, now repositioned and rebranded as Atom.com. Atom.com becomes Comedy Central’s exclusive partner for the development and distribution of original comedic broadband programming unrelated to its existing on-air properties, as well as an incubator of new talent and concepts for the television network.

Accessible to creators of all backgrounds, Atom develops original projects with established talent and accepts UGC uploads from users aspiring to establish themselves. In the process it is establishing a large, active community around the creation, viewing, and sharing of web comedy content, including topical spoofs, sketch comedy, animation, webcam commentary, short films, and more.

“Atom.com is the best of both worlds — a strong digital brand that that benefits from the support of the world’s biggest and best comedy network,” said Erik Flannigan, the MTVN Entertainment Group’s EVP of digital media. “The new Atom launches with a powerful combination of content, distribution, traffic, brand equity, and experience that positions it to stand out in the crowded and fragmented digital comedy sector.”

“Drawing on our relationships with top comedians, filmmakers, and our online community of aspiring creators, Atom will deliver web comedy the way nature intended -- random, honest, timely, and out of touch with normal standards of good taste,” said Atom.com general manager Scott Roesch. “Most of it will probably be funny too.”

Atom Original Development
Highlighting Atom’s programming lineup are original videos and web shows developed with top comedy talent and independent producers. Thousands of comedy productions previously developed and licensed by Comedy Central and AtomFilms are now available on Atom.com, and dozens of new projects are now in active development.

Four new Atom Originals are premiering on Atom.com today:

"Benny, Escaped Convict," co-created by television writer Ryan Levin (“Scrubs”) and award-winning animator Nye Warburton, chronicles the exploits of a tough-talking rodent on the lam.
"Border Patrol," produced by Josh Greenbaum, Ben McMillan, and Ivan Reitman (Old School, Ghostbusters), centers on three slacker friends who spend their weekends in lawn chairs at the Mexican border determined to stop illegal immigration.
"Steven & Stephen," from Adult Swim stars Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim (“Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”), about two groin-conjoined, Internet obsessed twins.
“Stickman Exodus," from Waverly Films, creators of the new COMEDY CENTRAL pilot "Scariest Show on Television,” in which stick figures, doodled into existence by a bored high-school student, search for the “promised page”—and a way out of the kid’s notebook.
An All-New Website
The new Atom.com replaces both AtomFilms.com (a 2008 Webby Award finalist) and AtomUploads.com, bringing professional and UGC content together on one site. Visitors will find a new logo, design, and creative identity, and navigation across tens of thousands of videos, animations, and flash games categorized in dozens of channels and segmented between “Pro Videos” and “User Videos.”

The site’s other new features include:

Upload Showdown, the weekly UGC competition in which Atom users vote for which new uploads should “go pro,” get paid, and get a spot on Atom TV on Comedy Central
Video overlay advertising packages that dramatically reduce the frequency of interruptive “pre-roll” video ads
Higher quality video streaming, and video players conveniently located in more locations throughout the site (home page and more)
A streamlined UGC upload system powered by MTVN’s Flux network
Social networking profiles and content sharing features also powered by the Flux network
Creator’s Kit featuring dozens of free music downloads from Juno composer Matt Messina
Upload Showdown – Atom’s Comedy Hitmaker
Over its 10-year history, AtomFilms demonstrated that hit original content can come from anyone, from professionals like Aardman Animation (Angry Kid) to high-school creators like Alan Becker (Animator vs Animation). The Upload Showdown is Atom.com’s weekly UGC competition in which viewers debate and vote on which recent user video uploads are worthy of the big time. Winners are upgraded from “User Video” status to “Pro Video” status on Atom.com, and are offered an Atom distribution contract giving a $500 advance, revenue sharing, and broadcast on Atom TV and Atom’s other distribution channels.

Next-Generation Advertising Capabilities
Atom offers a variety of advertising packages that begin with best of breed, deeply integrated online programs, and extend well beyond into convergent packages and branded entertainment. Launch sponsor Verizon is enjoying an Upload Showdown sponsorship, millions of video ad overlays, ubiquitous brand placement around Atom.com, presenting sponsorship of the first two episodes of Atom TV, and exclusive mobile distribution of Atom TV, on V Cast.

Atom is also able to offer end-to-end branded entertainment programs, developing new original content that will showcase client brands while entertaining the audience. It is in discussions with advertisers about “Agency,” a web show that will chronicle the efforts of a fictional Midwestern ad agency as they bumble and fumble their way to build an actual advertising campaign for a real client.

A Multiplatform Distribution Network
The Atom.com website is the center of a wide-reaching distribution network that places Atom’s content on just about every screen that plays video:

Television: Atom TV airs on Comedy Central Monday nights at 2am, featuring a selection of Atom’s top videos, including Upload Showdown winners. Atom content is also periodically available on Spike TV and Logo
Mobile: Atom channels are available on Verizon’s V Cast service as well as AT&T and AllTell
Internet: Atom channels are available on iTunes, AOL, AT&T, Bebo, DailyMotion, MeeVee, xBox Live, and many more leading web destinations
About Atom
Atom.com (formerly AtomFilms) reaches over 4 million consumers each month on the Atom.com web site, and millions more through multiplatform distribution on television, mobile phones, and the Internet. Drawing on a strategic partnership with Comedy Central and its own 10-year history of online video innovation and leadership, ATOM is uniquely positioned to rule Internet comedy, basically.

About COMEDY CENTRAL
COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 91 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is www.comedycentral.com. For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Press Central, COMEDY CENTRAL's press Web site at www.comedycentral.com/press

About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 150 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: Music Television, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, Nickelodeon, Nick At Nite, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV Land, Spike TV, CMT, Noggin/The N, VH1 Classic, MTVN International and The Digital Suite From MTV Networks, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

CONTACT:
MTVN Entertainment Group
Aileen Budow (212) 767-3952 aileen.budow@mtvn.com

Principal Communications Group
Melissa Zukerman
(323) 658-1555
melissa@pcommgroup.com

Paul Pflug
(323) 658-1555
paul@pcommgroup.com

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 90 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of VIACOM Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is www.comedycentral.com.