XFIRE AND STRIDE® GUM ANNOUNCE "THE RIDICULOUSLY LONG LASTING STRIDE XFIRE CUP 2007" INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Sponsored by Stride® Gum, Online Tournament Brings Top
Pro Gaming Teams Together To Compete For $24,000 in Winnings
MENLO PARK, CA (March 13, 2007) - Xfire Inc., a division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B) MTV Networks, today announced the "The Ridiculously Long Lasting Stride Xfire Cup 2007", an online Counter-Strike: Source invitational tournament bringing the best North American teams together to compete for $24,000 in winnings. The first of its kind tournament is sponsored by Stride® - The Ridiculously Long Lasting GumTM.
"We are excited to partner with Stride once again to present an exceptional series of live online gaming activities on Xfire," said Mike Cassidy, CEO of Xfire. "We are dedicated to enhancing the Ridiculously Long Lasting Stride Xfire Cup 2007 by broadcasting the tournament matches live to our worldwide community of over 6.5 million gamers."
"Stride is excited to partner with Xfire to bring gamers a unique and original experience," said Lynne Vandeveer, Marketing Director for Stride. "We are excited to build on the fun we had last year and play in a space that is relevant and engaging to our consumers."
Eight professional gaming teams will compete in the "Stride Xfire Cup 2007." A panel of e-sports experts including representatives from Electronic Sports League, GameTrailers.com, GotFrag.com, MeetYourMakers.com and Spike TV's "Game Head" has selected seven of the participating teams. Chosen teams include CompLexity, EFG, EG, Hyper, Jax Money Crew, Team3D, and Verge. The eighth and final team will be determined by the votes of the Xfire community. Voting for team selection will continue through March 21 at http://www.xfire.com/stride.
The tournament, which will be broadcast and shoutcast on Xfire through a partnership with EGLN, will begin on March 29 followed by the quarter-final event on April 5 narrowing down to the semi-finals on May 4. Teams will pick up between $500 and $1,000 for each victory. Commencing with a live, twelve-hour blow-out final event on June 21, the "Stride Xfire Cup 2007" will wrap up with the winning team taking home $12,000. Second and third place teams will be awarded $5,000 and $3,000 respectively.
Xfire users who want their own piece of the action can participate in the "Ridiculously Long Lasting Gaming Events" which happen in parallel to each cup match. There gamers will have the opportunity to play pick-up games with the professional teams and have the chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes including a year's supply of Stride gum, hardware, games or even their very own private lessons with the pros.
"'The Ridiculously Long Lasting Stride Xfire Cup 2007' will give online fans a unique gaming experience, access to high-profile gamers and an opportunity to get recognized for their performance said Jay Krihak, Partner, Group Media Director at MEC Interaction. "Last year we received great feedback from participants and this year we look forward to continuing the tournament momentum with fresh and exciting elements."
For more information on the "Stride Xfire Cup 2007," visit http://www.xfire.com/stride.
About Xfire, Inc.
Xfire, Inc. one of the fastest growing online gaming platforms and communities in the world helping gamers to easily connect, chat and play with their friends online. Xfire is a free service that allows gamers to easily browse for game servers, chat with friends through IM and voice chat, as well as download the latest updates and additions to their favorite games. With more than six and a half million members in over 100 countries, Xfire is an international community connecting gamers across the globe. Xfire is a wholly owned subsidiary of MTV Networks and is based in Menlo Park, CA.
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 130 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, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, with all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 100 interactive properties worldwide, including GameTrailers.com, IFILM, Neopets, Xfire, Y2M, and online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services. MTV Networks also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.
About STRIDE®
Stride®, The Ridiculously Long Lasting GumTM, was launched in 2006 to give gum chewers a fun, unique and long-lasting experience. Stride, a Cadbury Adams USA, brand comes in three long-lasting flavors--- Winterblue, Spearmint and Sweet Peppermint. To find out more about Stride, our friends and what we are up to visit http://www.stridegum.com. ;
XFIRE MEDIA CONTACTS:
Karen Raque
Bender/Helper Impact
(310) 694-3138
karen_raque@bhimpact.com
MEC INTERACTION MEDIA CONTACTS:
Nathalie Alfred
Senior Partner, Marketing Communications
(212) 474 0554
Nathalie.Alfred@mecglobal.com