FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NFLE 1/15/98

SUPERBOWL.COM DELIVERS THE EXCITEMENT OF SUPER BOWL WEEK LIVE TO FANS ON WEB

- Coverage Culminates With Global Cybercast Of Super Bowl XXXII –

Attention all NFL fans: Don’t fret if you can’t watch Super Bowl XXXII in person …Make some popcorn and pull up to your computer because Superbowl.com will make you feel as if you are right there in San Diego. Created by the NFL, NBC Sports and IBM, the official site of Super Bowl XXXII will provide extensive coverage of all the events leading up to the big game, culminating with a live global "cybercast" of the game itself on January 25th.

Prior to Super Bowl XXXII, visitors can experience:

• LIVE AUDIO AND VIDEO coverage of Super Bowl week events, including player/coach interviews, press conferences and a daily video news update.

• DAILY LIVE CHATS with Packer and Bronco players and coaches plus other NFL stars.

• DIGITAL PHOTOS from Webcam, produced by Earthcam, will provide live updated photos of Super Bowl week events and Qualcomm Stadium as it is prepared for gameday. Photobubbles, created by IPIX, takes fans on a virtual tour the NFL Experience, the stadium on gameday and other events in San Diego with 360-degree navigable photos.

• MULITMEDIA memories from past Super Bowls.

• SHOP in the online store for official Super Bowl party gear and merchandise, including the ability to order Super Bowl champion merchandise at the conclusion of the game.

• INTERACTIVE GAMES for kids and adults, including "Super Bowl Showdown," enabling fans to "replay" five famous Super Bowls.

• CELEBRITY CONTENT including Super Bowl comedy bits from Jay Leno characters "Iron Jay" and "Guy Living"; and Boyz II Men, part of the Motown 40^th Anniversary-themed Royal Carribean half time show, giving their game predictions.

The LIVE GLOBAL CYBERCAST of Super Bowl XXXII on Sunday, January 25, will feature:

• GAMEDAY COMMENTARY from a team of NFL experts, including AP Coach of the Year Jim Fassel of the New York Giants, NFL on NBC analyst Bob Trumpy and former Dallas Cowboys personnel chief Gil Brandt. Fans can interact with the analysts, who will respond to questions during the game.

• INSTANT PHOTOS from a selection of six different NBC game cameras, including one located in the game blimp.

• LIVE INTERNATIONAL AUDIO game broadcasts in Japanese (NHK), German (Premiere), Russian (NTV), Italian (Tele+) and Chinese (Guangdong TV), as well as audio feeds from the press box and stadium pa announcer.

The live cybercast also will feature live play-by-play and comprehensive game statistics and animated playbooks featuring a graphical play-by-play depiction of the game. Extensive post game coverage will include analysis from the cybercast team, photo galleries, live audio feeds from post game press conferences (up to 14 different simultaneous speakers) and video highlights of the game.

A production group of more than 40 dedicated people will be on hand in San Diego to support the daily development of Superbowl.com, representing NFL, NBC Sports and IBM.

IBM is the exclusive sponsor of Superbowl.com for the second consecutive year and also is serving as the technology partner - - developing, designing and hosting the site. The site is hosted on an IBM RS/6000, using the same technology that ran IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer in its chess match victory over Garry Kasparov earlier this year. The site also showcases IBM’s Net.Commerce software, which will enable fans to purchase Super Bowl merchandise via the Internet.

Several additional companies have helped contribute to the development of Superbowl.com, including: Sprint, the official telecommunications sponsor of the NFL, is providing Internet connectivity and other telecommunication; Theatrix has developed online football-themed arcade games; Sports Illustrated is providing order processing and fulfillment of Super Bowl merchandise; and for the third consecutive year, AudioNet is hosting all streaming audio and video coverage.

Contacts:
Mary Griswold, NFL, 212/450-2068
Laura Wessner/IBM, 914/499-4508
Robert Silverman/NBC Interactive, 212/664-2756