Wink’s Enhanced Broadcasting Gains Further Momentum

ALAMEDA, Calif., June 26 /PRNewswire/ –
Wink Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: WINK), America’s leader in “one-click”
commerce on television, announced today an agreement to deliver Wink’s
Enhanced Broadcasting(TM) feature to
EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH, DISHP) and its DISH
Network(TM) customers. Terms of the deal include launching Wink to DISH
Network subscribers who have OpenTV-enabled set-tops by 2001, which could
reach as many as 4 million homes by summer 2003. The agreement allows for
transmission of Wink-enhanced programming and advertising and the use of
Wink’s Response Network(TM) to process television-based transactions, called
“T-commerce.” Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Today’s announcement signifies that Wink has now obtained signed
agreements from both major direct broadcast satellite (DBS) operators,
EchoStar and DIRECTV, to deliver its service nationwide, in addition to
previously announced deployments and commitments from major U.S. cable
providers. EchoStar and DIRECTV provide satellite TV services to almost
13 million homes, and they continue to add new subscribers at a record pace.
The satellite TV industry is expected, according to Paul Kagan Associates and
other industry analysts, to lead America’s multi-channel operators in homes
enabled for interactive television services in each of the next few years.

“Our agreement with EchoStar is a landmark deal for Wink and for the
industry,” remarked Wink’s President and CEO Maggie Wilderotter. “We now have
signed agreements to launch our enhanced broadcasting and T-commerce
technology from the two largest players in the DBS industry. We’re proud to
be the only end-to-end enhanced TV company to reach this milestone. This deal
also represents Wink’s intent to work in collaboration with OpenTV to provide
a complement of valuable interactive TV services on Echostar’s digital
set-tops whenever possible. We applaud EchoStar for delivering Wink’s
entertainment and T-commerce services to their customers.”

“We are pleased to work with EchoStar and OpenTV to provide valuable
interactive services,” commented Allan Thygesen, Executive Vice President of
Sales and Business Development at Wink. “EchoStar’s endorsement of Wink’s
enhanced programming from major networks and industry leading, field-proven
interactive ad insertion and cross platform response routing sends a strong
signal to the industry of our solution’s versatility and maturity.
Furthermore, Wink’s collaboration with OpenTV, in conjunction with our
previously announced deals with Microsoft, Liberate, PowerTV, Source Media and
Canal + Technologies, means that Wink’s impulse T-commerce services will now
be available on every major software platform currently offered to U.S.
operators.”