Press release for eBay/Disney deal

Go.com and eBay to team up

eBay Will Become the Online Person-to-Person Trading Site for Disney's GO Network Portal and Introduce Co-Branded "Merchant-to-Person" Sites for Disney.com, ESPN.com and ABC.com

In a joint announcement today, GO.com Chairman Steve Bornstein and eBay President and CEO Meg Whitman announced a comprehensive four-year agreement between the two companies. The agreement brings together eBay, the world's leading person-to-person online trading community, and GO.com, the Internet business of The Walt Disney Company, to develop and market online trading experiences in a co-branded person-to-person site and new merchant-to-person sites.

According to the terms of the agreement, eBay will ultimately become the online trading service across all of Disney's Internet properties, including the GO Network portal. The companies intend to develop, implement and promote a co-branded person-to-person trading site for the GO Network at http://ebay.go.com.

In addition, the companies will collaborate on the development of several merchant-to-person trading sites in an auction format for Disney.com, ESPN.com and ABC.com, that will showcase unique, exclusive and authenticated products, props and memorabilia from throughout The Walt Disney Company, including Walt Disney Studios, Disneyland and Walt Disney World, ESPN Cable Networks and ABC Television.

What Will Be Auctioned
To inaugurate the new merchant-to-person site, GO.com will launch Disney.com auctions, which will list exclusive products for the celebration of the 100-year anniversary of Walt Disney's birth, and has plans to follow with auctions highlighting Disneyland's 45th Anniversary, the Princess Collection and Disney rides and attractions.

The ESPN auctions site will serve as a premier source of authentic vintage and current sports memorabilia, and exclusive items direct from ESPN. ABC.com's auction site will be a leading online destination to find authentic props, costumes and memorabilia from ABC-produced shows.

GO.com and eBay will also work together to develop special event auctions, including auctions featuring movie sets, props and memorabilia from movies from Walt Disney Studios.

Both the co-branded person-to-person site and the new merchant-to-person trading sites will be widely promoted across the online and off-line assets of The Walt Disney Company. Online traffic will be driven to the sites from many of Disney's online properties, including ABC.com, ABCNEWS.com, ABCSports.com, Disney.com, ESPN.com, Family.com and Mr. Showbiz.

In addition, the companies plan to promote the sites throughout Disney's traditional off-line properties, including the ABC Television Network, ABC Radio Network, ESPN Cable Networks, Disney Channel, the Disney Catalog, theme parks, the annual Disneyana Convention and in other special events and promotions developed by the companies. GO.com will continue to have a relationship with uBid through the term of its current agreement.

Quotes
In making the announcement, Bornstein said: "This agreement is critical to GO.com's new strategy of focusing our portal on entertainment, recreation and leisure activities.

"The combination of exclusive merchandise from across the Disney company, terrific distribution from the GO.com family of Web sites, Disney's unparalleled promotional capabilities and eBay's vibrant online community should create a world-class online trading environment. Our innovative collaboration, highlighted by eBay's first merchant-to-person online trading sites, will provide GO.com users a distinctive and fun community and trading experience."

"Disney and eBay are widely regarded as pioneers and marketing leaders in their respective businesses," said eBay CEO Meg Whitman. "This relationship is a first for us as we unite our efforts to create a powerful online trading destination, supported by Disney's unrivaled consumer marketing expertise.

"We believe our 10 million-member community will benefit greatly from GO.com's presence and the new members they will bring. We look forward to GO.com joining as a valued member of the community, bringing people from around the world to the co-branded site and the merchant-to-person sites to bid on merchandise and enjoy the experience that only GO.com and Disney can create."

About eBay
eBay (www.ebay.com), the world's personal trading community, pioneered person-to-person online trading. Founded in 1995, eBay has developed an efficient and entertaining trading site on the Web that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. eBay has more than 10 million registered users. Currently, there are nearly 4 million items listed for sale.

More than 450,000 items are added daily in more than 4,300 categories, including antiques; books, movies and music; coins and stamps; collectibles; computers; dolls and figures; jewelry and gemstones; photo and electronics; pottery and glass; sports memorabilia; and toys.

About GO.com
GO.com is the result of the November 1999 merger between Infoseek Corporation and The Walt Disney Company's online unit, Buena Vista Internet Group (BVIG). As part of the transaction a new class of equity was created. GO.com is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GO.

Headed by Chairman Steve Bornstein, GO.com oversees many of the Web's most popular sites and services, including the GO Network portal, ABC.com, ABCNEWS.com, ABCSports.com, Disney.com, DisneyStore.com, toysmart.com, ESPN.com, ESPNStore.com, NFL.com, NBA.com, Soccernet, Family.com and Mr. Showbiz.

Headquarters is in North Hollywood, with operations in Sunnyvale, Calif.; Seattle; New York; and London.

-- Posted February 9, 2000

Source: Company Press Release