NBC UNIVERSAL and PRN, Thomson’s Out-of-Home Advertising Business, Announce Strategic Sales and Marketing Alliance

NBC Universal to develop customizable branded-content with Premier Retail Networks (PRN)’s Supermarket Check-Out TV channel network

-Progressive Insurance, the leading American insurance company, signs on as Charter Advertiser

Paris, France and San Francisco, United States – Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453; NYSE: TMS), via its Premier Retail Networks (PRN) business unit, part of its Services Division, and NBC Universal today announced a new sales and marketing alliance to partner on ad sales and develop customizable content for PRN’s supermarket network, featured in more than 1000 leading supermarket stores nationwide.

An expanded collaboration

The agreement continues a long-time collaboration between PRN and NBC in the out-of home media market, as NBC has been an advertiser and entertainment content partner to PRN since 2000. As part of the agreement, NBC Universal will develop short-form content that will offer key targeted advertisers integrated branding opportunities designed specifically for the supermarket environment. The content will air on PRN’s Supermarket Checkout TV, which is viewed more than 45 million times each month by consumers in retail stores across the country.

The leading American Insurance company, Progressive Insurance, has signed on as the charter advertiser and will be featured in special segments that integrate its brand, promote interactivity and drive consumers to its website.

“We are excited about deepening our relationship with NBC and working with their impressive ad sales team. NBC Universal has been a long time content partner of PRN and they really are a thought leader in developing custom content for the in-store media space. This new alliance is truly reflective of a long history of successful collaboration with NBC over the years,” commented Natalie Egleston, General Manager in charge of the Supermarket Network for PRN, within Thomson’s Services Division.

“We’re committed to providing our advertising partners with unique ways of marketing to their target audiences in captive environments,” said Mark French, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, NBC Universal Television Stations. “PRN network provides a terrific opportunity for our clients to expand their brand awareness through the growing and dynamic out-of- home television market.”

“We’re delighted to expand on our existing relationship with PRN to now include a sales and marketing alliance with our sales team,” said John Miller, Chief Marketing Officer, NBC Universal Television Group. “This new arrangement further allows us to use this great platform to spread the word about our NBC Universal shows and properties.”

“We want to make car insurance easy to shop for, buy and own, and we’ve been able to do this in a number of innovative ways both online and off, like our unique auto insurance ‘Rate Ticker,’ that shows Progressive rates side-by-side with those of other top insurers in real-time,” said Fred Khoury, Marketing Manager, Progressive. “We take the same innovative approach with our advertising. This opportunity is a great way for us to connect with consumers in an interesting and interactive way – we hope that as they’re comparing prices walking down the food aisle that they’ll think to compare insurance rates the next time they’re shopping for insurance.”

A strong and unique position in Out-of-Home and in-store advertising

Based on information provided by several third-party research firms and retailers, Thomson’s Premier Retail Networks (PRN) television network is watched more than 250 million times each month by consumers in retail stores. It operates the largest in-store television network in the United States based on the number of consumers reached each month. Through this network, the Group enables national and local advertisers to target consumers in over 6,000 leading retail stores. PRN works with leading retailers and advertisers to create in-store television programming including entertainment, news, product information, advertising and community content. Among its leading retailers customers in the United States, PRN works with ACME, Albertsons, Best Buy, Circuit City, Costco, Jewel-Osco, Pathmark, SAM’S CLUB, Shaw’s, ShopRite, Star Market, and Wal-Mart Store.

PRN’s Supermarket Check-Out TV, the TV channel network for checkout points is installed in more than 1000 supermarkets. This channel networks allows consumers to watch entertaining or informative content while waiting in the line at check out.

“Providing our customers with a superior shopping experience is a priority for us,” said Jeff Weidauer, Director of Brand Advertising at SUPERVALU. “This leading innovative approach to programming for the TVs in our checkout lanes will be a win for our shoppers through the delivery of entertaining contextually relevant content and messaging. And we deliver an audience that is a key demographic for advertisers – heads of households.”