ROGERS EXCITED ABOUT NEW VENTURE
By Adnews Staff
Rogers Communications Inc. of Toronto and Excite Inc. of Redwood City, California, have announced a 50/50 joint venture by which Excite, a global Internet media company, will provide Internet content in a localized format to the Canadian marketplace backed by marketing and Canadian internet distribution resources provided by Rogers. Excite Canada will offer content on subjects including Canadian news, weather, financial information, sports, entertainment and music. Also to be offered is an advanced search function, free Web-based e-mail and online shopping availability. The initial value of the joint venture is $30 million, with Rogers and Excite each contributing $15 million. Excite Canada is scheduled to go live later this year, making it the sixth joint venture Excite Inc. has entered into around the world. The launch of Excite Canada also brings the number of localized services launched by the Internet company to a total of eleven different countries. "Rogers, with its vast online and off-line media resources and use of At Home to deliver high-speed Internet access, is an ideal partner for Excite as we execute on our strategy of delivering personalized Internet services across multiple bands and devices," Excite's CEO, George Bell said in a release. Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian national communications company.