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MovieFlix.com Ends Year With More than 1.5 Million Registered Members - MovieFlix.com Press Release

Hollywood, CA (January 18, 2005) - MovieFlix.com, (http://www.movieflix.com) the leading broadband movie provider on the Internet, today announced that it ended 2004 with more than 1.5 million registered members, exceeding its end-of-year target of 1 million members. The company attributed its strong full-year results to it's best-in-breed content, world class customer service and a greater recognition by consumers of the company’s premium quality programming.

"We are extremely pleased with our rapid member growth. Hitting the 1.5 million member mark is significant because it confirms our status as a major broadband movie provider. But this is just the start. We will continue to aggressively attract more new members as well as expand our movie offering," says CEO and co-founder Opher Mizrahi.

January 18, 2005 - MovieFlix.com Press Release

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Hooray for HollyWeb - NewsDay

By: Regina Marie Glick

Over the past few years, online mail-order rentals, movie downloads and unlimited subscription programs have become increasingly mainstream alternatives to the a-la-carte menu served by traditional stores.

Now, competition is heating up with big players such as Blockbuster and Walmart.com rolling out their own competing programs to grab a slice of the movie subscription rental pie. Also joining the fray are small start-ups, many of which hope to carve a niche in this rapidly expanding market.

The result of so much competition is that consumers have far more options than ever. Plans start at $6.95 per month for unlimited movie streams at MovieFlix.com and go at least as high as $49.99 per month for unlimited Netflix DVDs, eight out at a time. And each different service has its perks.

At Movieflix.com, users can view obscure and independent films, as well as those old enough to be considered part of the public domain, meaning their copyrights have expired. Some are free and others come with the company's $6.95 monthly subscription fee.

The films are not actually downloaded, but rather they are "streamed," meaning they are fed from the site without being installed on a user's computer, said Robert Moskovits, a co-founder of the company.

August 15, 2004 - NewsDay

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An Online Supplier for Your Desktop Cineplex - New York Times

By: Tim Gnatek

Going to the movies these days may simply involve a trip to your desktop, as video-on-demand Internet movie services help turn personal computers into multiscreen cineplexes.

A technological step beyond video rentals and pay-per-view cable movie channels, these online movie services provide a legal and reliable way to download and stream thousands of films, from recently released Hollywood blockbusters to vintage serials.

Several video-on-demand services operating with the blessings of the film industry, like Movielink, CinemaNow and MovieFlix, have been online for some time. But these services, along with the newly introduced Starz Ticket service, are now gaining considerably in appeal as computer processing power and Internet access speeds reach the point where DVD-quality movies can be efficiently delivered to a mass audience.

The movies are downloaded or streamed with the Real or Windows Media player programs. Most services wrap their own skins around the software, turning it into a branded movie player.

The video-on-demand companies all offer basically the same service; where they differ is in their content and delivery options.

MovieFlix (www.movieflix.com), a video-on-demand service, rates below its competitors in quality and selection, but it may be worth browsing since some of the movies it offers are free.

A basic membership requiring not much more than an e-mail address provides access to many old-time films like Charlie Chaplin movies, outdated educational science films and serials like "Junior G-Men" and "Dick Tracy."

A premium membership, $6.95 a month, opens the entire catalog of more than 3,000 films from yesteryear.

MovieFlix only requires a 56K modem, but at that speed, playback can be blocky and poor. The company recommends broadband, but even with a cable or DSL connection, the picture quality doesn't quite compare with that of other services.

Video-on-demand services make for an ideal way to rent movies: all-hours access with no late fees, trips to the video store or waiting to receive movies from mail-order services like Netflix.

But whether you are standing amid the neighborhood store's movie racks or seated by a home computer, there's one problem neither method will soon overcome: that never-ending dilemma of deciding what to watch.

August 12, 2004 - New York Times

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MovieFlix.com - Surviving and Prospering - KCAL-TV, Los Angeles

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here to watch KCAL-TV's feature on MovieFlix!

April 24, 2004 - KCAL-TV, Los Angeles

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MovieFlix.com Exceeds 10,000 Monthly Paying Subscribers - MovieFlix.com Press Release

Hollywood, CA (April 20, 2004) - MovieFlix.com, the leading broadband movie provider on the Internet, today announced that it has exceeded the 10,000 subscriber mark, making it the leading on-demand movie subscription service available. Subscribers pay $6.95 monthly to watch hard to find movies as well as receive exclusive member benefits including free 24X7 customer service by phone, choice between the Windows Media Player and the Real Player as well as superb audio and video playback quality.

"For the foreseeable future, hard to find and niche movies are the secrets to succeeding at Internet video-on-demand. We are extremely pleased with the rapid subscriber growth as well as our expansion of the MovieFlix movie library," said Opher Mizrahi, CEO and Co-Founder.

April 20, 2004 - MovieFlix.com Press Release

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MovieFlix.com To Deliver Entire "MovieFlix Plus Library" in Windows Media 9 Series - MovieFlix.com Press Release

Hollywood, CA (September 08, 2003) - MovieFlix.com, the leading broadband movie provider on the Internet, today announced plans to deliver the entire "MovieFlix Plus Library" to it's subscribers in Windows Media 9 Series in order to deliver an innovative home-theatre-like experience. MovieFlix.com will make over 1,300 premium movie titles available in the Windows Media 9 Series format by the end of the year. This will enable its over 1 million registered members and 8,500 monthly active pay subscribers access to the best possible online movie viewing experience.

"Windows Media 9 Series provides us with high-quality delivery and innovative features for our video content, assuring us of providing the best in online movie enjoyment for our customers," said Opher Mizrahi, CEO and co-founder of MovieFlix.com.

Windows Media 9 Series and Windows Server 2003 feature "Fast Streaming" technology which enables MovieFlix.com to virtually eliminate buffering for their consumers with near instantaneous delivery of their content of choice. These features further improve on MovieFlix.com's ability to deliver the highest quality and best possible broadband, video-on-demand service.

"We're excited that MovieFlix.com has chosen Windows Media 9 Series to deliver home-theater-like experiences for movie fans who have broadband connections," said Microsoft's Jason Reindorp, group product manager, Windows Digital Media Division.

September 8, 2003 - MovieFlix.com Press Release

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MovieFlix.com Feels Like A Million - Video Business

Streaming video site reaches membership milestone

By: David S. Cohen

Some 8,000 of the registrants pay for their membership, while the rest have free memberships. The MovieFlix library includes studio and independent films, shorts and TV shows that the company acquires using a royalty fee schedule so that it does not have to pay for product upfront.

The rapid growth of broadband Internet access has given 5-year old MovieFlix a boost, co-founder and VP of business development Robert Moskovits told VB. "Broadband is where the real experience is," said Moskovits. He also pointed to partnerships, especially with AOL Time Warner and AOL Broadband, as a major source of subscribers.

Hollywood-based MovieFlix has an online library of more than 3,000 titles. Free memberships include access to 60% of the MovieFlix library with use of Real Networks' RealPlayer software. Those who subscribe for $5.95 a month get access to the entire library and can choose either RealPlayer or Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media Player.

The company has a churn rate of slightly less than 20%, says Moskovits, and hopes to get that down to 10%. It also is aiming for 1.5 million memberships, including 12,500 paid, by the end of the year. In November, the company broke through the 800,000-membership plateau (VB, 11-18).

MovieFlix movies are not downloadable and must be viewed as Internet streams, but many subscribers watch by hooking their TVs to their computers. "Those things do help," said Moskovits. "TV is still the preferred place for entertainment."

MovieFlix is one of the few surviving VOD sites, most of which folded at the bursting of the tech bubble. Moskovits says that for now, MovieFlix is not even thinking about competition because the Internet VOD business is still so new. "We really think of it as primordial soup," he said. "So any kind of advances we can do, we're just happy to do it, whether it's a million members or 8,000 to 10,000 subscribers. We just think we're at the bottom of what's coming."

July 21, 2003 - Video Business

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MovieFlix Surges Past One Million Registered Members - MovieFlix.com Press Release

Best of breed content and ease of use fuels strong consumer demand

Hollywood, CA (July 21, 2003) - MovieFlix.com, the leading broadband movie provider on the Web, today announced that it has registered over one million members, becoming the first web site of its kind to reach this milestone. Contributing to this strong membership growth is the popularity of over 3,000 broadband movie titles consisting of Hollywood classics, blockbusters, independent films, short films, television shows and more in over 30 categories as well as the high quality of movie streaming utilizing the popular Windows Media Player and the Real Player formats. The one million member mark is a significant milestone solidifying MovieFlix's leadership in online movie viewing.

"Passing the one million mark in our membership signals to us that we are not only serving a real need on the Internet for quality entertainment, but that we have been able to build a loyal and involved member base around our movie library," says CEO and co-founder Opher Mizrahi.

July 21, 2003 - MovieFlix.com Press Release

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AOL Broadband Offers Free MovieFlix VOD - Video Store Magazine

By: Joan Villa

Called "Theater B," the service started last week with a "Three Stooges" theme to mark the comedians’ 75th anniversary. One of three Stooges short films -- Brideless Groom, Disorder in the Court and Malice in the Palace -- will play free each week. July will continue with "sci-fi cinema" month, offering Monster From Green Hell, Teenagers From Outer Space, The Crawling Eye and Rocketship X-M.

"We know that what drives a lot of broadband adoption are features such as film clips, trailers and music downloads," said Steven Yee, VP and GM of AOL Movies.

The feature is part of AOL’s "value proposition" to its broadband subscribers -- between 3 million and 4 million -- who automatically get CNN News and other free services, he said. Yee declined to say how many people AOL anticipates will actually watch, but a test last fall that offered free streaming of a selection of MovieFlix’s Halloween and Christmas movies showed there’s "good demand," he added.

For its part, MovieFlix hopes the multiyear agreement will bring more visibility to its service, which normally costs $5.95 per month for unlimited movie streaming of a 3,000-title library consisting primarily of independent, classic and public-domain films, said co-founder Robert Moskovits. "Practically speaking, it’s great for us because it helps us to get more traffic," he said.

While MovieFlix has negotiated rights with independent producers to stream movies in a pay-per-view window, it has not signed on with major studios for streaming big-budget films primarily because studios are asking for upfront license fees as high as $2 million, he said.

"If you’re going to write a check for $2 million or $1 million, you better make sure you’re at least going to break even," Moskovits said.

June 12, 2003 - Video Store Magazine

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AOL Offers Free Flix - WPIX TV, New York, NY

Click
here to watch WPIX's feature about MovieFlix movies debuting on AOL.

June 9, 2003 - WPIX TV, New York, NY

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