"The AvaStar": New Bild.T-Online Newspaper to be Launched on December 21, 2006 in "Second Life"

BERLIN, December 14 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 21, 2006, Europe's biggest entertainment portal Bild.T-Online is due to launch the new English language newspaper "The AvaStar". The title will be available once a week for 150 Linden dollars (42 Euro cents) in the virtual Internet world "Second Life". Bild.T-Online is offering special attractive launch terms to its advertising clients.

"The AvaStar" will offer its readers - the "residents" - around 30 pages of wide-ranging information about life in the virtual world. The majority of its readers will be relatively young, well educated men and women with an average age of 32 years. Its approach is direct and emotive. "The AvaStar" aims to serve as a guide and help newcomers in particular to find their bearings in the "Second Life" environment. The content is clearly structured: News, Business, Celebrity & Gossip, Style & Fashion, Travel and Entertainment form the editorial framework. A weekly guide to "Second Life" rounds off the newspaper.

To mark the launch, the marketing team of Bild.T-Online is offering attractive first booking discounts. The newspaper is sold through street vendors, self-service boxes and the website www.the-avastar.com. During the launch, promotion teams will also be active in "Second Life".

Gregor Stemmle, CEO of Bild.T-Online: "'The AvaStar' is the first mass medium in 'Second Life' to be produced with a professional background. Using their experience in journalism and publishing, Bild.T-Online and Axel Springer are establishing a newspaper format for a broad readership and at the same time creating a very interesting publicity setting for advertising clients."

"Second Life" is a three-dimensional world of its own on the Internet. Today nearly two million residents are registered as virtual people at www.secondlife.com, and at the click of a mouse they lead a life just like in the real world: they work in offices, go shopping, stroll down boulevards and have, in the Linden dollar, their own currency (there are 270 Linden dollars to one US dollar).

Numerous companies have discovered this Internet world as a place for testing trends in a virtual situation. Above all, "Second Life" has created a world that appeals to the users: the market is currently growing by about 15 percent per month, and the number of members by more than 20 percent.

    
    Advertising contact:

    Marco Barei, Manager Online Marketing Bild.T-Online
    marco.barei@bild.t-online.de
    Tel. +40-(0)30-25-91-7-91-63

    Press contact:

    Tobias Frohlich
    tobias.froehlich@axelspringer.de
    Tel. +49-(0)30-25-91-7-76-20

This press release can be downloaded from www.media.bild.t-online.de.