An Olympian Approach to E-Commerce

NBC/Quokka Ventures, a joint venture of NBC and Quokka Sports, signed a deal
with IBM to provide
e-commerce and hosting solutions for
NBCOlympics.com and the site’s U.S.
Olympic Store.

IBM will use its WebSphere Commerce Suite software to manage online shopping
for the store. Financial arrangements were not disclosed; however, IBM will
be an advertiser on the site.

Consumers in the United States will be able to purchase selected merchandise,
such as apparel and souvenirs, officially licensed by the Sydney Organizing
Committee for the Olympic Games, in addition to licensed products from the
U.S. Olympic Committee.

The Web site is part of NBC’s coverage of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games
across its television network, on cable channels CNBC and MSNBC, and via the
Internet.

IBM has exclusive rights for the Information Technology advertising category
on the site and as part of its previously announced Olympic Games advertising
buy with
NBC-TV, IBM will be shown on NBC’s network broadcasts and featured as
“NBCOlympics.com is an IBM e-business.”

“Hosting NBCOlympics.com and providing the e-commerce solution for the U.S.
online
store are great ways to showcase IBM’s technology leadership,” said Eli
Primrose-Smith, vice president for IBM Worldwide Olympic and Sports
Sponsorships.

IBM has hosted other high-volume Web event sites, including Wimbledon, the
Ryder Cup and the Official Nagano Olympic Games site.

NBC/Quokka Ventures was formed in February 1999 to produce NBC’s online
coverage of the Olympic Games. Unique to the site is Athlete’s Voice, a
mainstay of the coverage where the world’s elite athletes provide ongoing,
first-person accounts.