SciFi Channel Press Release # 1

Business Wire
April 2, 2002, Tuesday 01:06 PM Eastern Time
SECTION: ENTERTAINMENTWIRE
DISTRIBUTION: Entertainment Editors
LENGTH: 1041 words

HEADLINE: SCI FI Channel to Generate New Thrills, Action and Fun; Channel
Administers Monthly Adrenaline Jolts With Action Originals

DATELINE: NEW YORK, April 2, 2002

BODY:
SCI FI Channel has enlarged its commitment to male action-oriented original movies with eight originals in 2002 alone and plans to up that quota to 24 per year within the next two years.

Action-packed sequences, explosions, special effects and, most of all, dynamic fast-moving performances, highlight a new development slate made to enhance SCI FI performance levels in all dayparts. These films will predominantly be  produced internally, taking advantage of the synergies within the upcoming Vivendi Universal Entertainment merger.

"Action-driven, male-dominated original movies continue to do well for SCI FI Channel, both in premiere and encore showings," stated Bonnie Hammer, President of SCI FI Channel. "These crowd-pleasing films are cost-effective and popular. And frankly, great fun for our fans!" SCI FI's upcoming lineup of high energy, male action originals include:

INTERCEPTOR FORCE 2 - Principal photography has wrapped in Sofia, Bulgaria on this original two-hour movie that features an array of sci-fi veterans including Nigel Bennett (Lexx, Forever Knight), Roger R. Cross (First Wave)
Adrienne Wilkinson (Xena: Warrior Princess), Elizabeth Gracen (Highlander/ Highlander: The Raven) and Olivier Gruner, star of SCI FI's first Interceptor Force and former world Kickbox Champion. In the not too distant future a new team of specially trained government soldiers called Interceptors contend with the latest hostile alien encounter. When an alien scout ship crashes in eastern Russia, Sean Lambert and his elite force are dispatched to investigate. They come face-to-face with a seemingly invincible seven-foot tall, shapeshifting foe hell-bent on blowing up a Russian nuclear power plant in an effort to destroy mankind through a nuclear winter. The stakes become personal when the alien discovers it was Lambert who killed its mate four years ago (in Interceptor Force 1). A major battle ensues as the Interceptors
look to save the Earth from alien annihilation.

Produced by Unified Film Organization's (UFO) Jeffery Beach (Epoch, Last Voyage, Interceptor Force, Under Pressure), Interceptor Force 2 was written by Patrick Phillips (Storm, The Lost Voyage) and directed by Phillip Roth
(Interceptor Force, A.P.E.X.). The project will premiere exclusively on SCI FI in the fourth quarter of 2002.

EPOCH 2 - In this sequel to SCI FI's record-setting original movie, the entire world is at the brink of war. In the face of a global meltdown, the Torus, a towering "substance-structure," has returned to Earth. It hovers over the ground in a still and threatening silence -- endangering the planet's entire life support system. Our hero, Mason Rand, must race against
time to find a way to get inside the Torus and decipher its significance, before the world truly faces a cataclysmic ending.

PUPPETMASTER VS. DEMONIC TOYS - The puppets and toys from two cult-movie franchises "Demonic Toys" and "Puppetmaster" face off in this SCI FI Original Movie. It all starts when Robert Toulon (great-nephew of the original
puppetmaster) and his daughter Alex once again bring their puppets to life. They quickly find themselves running from a mysterious group of fiendish toymakers. The toymakers are determined to steal Toulon's reanimation formula
so they can unleash a pack of evil toys on the world. Executive produced by Charlie Band. Written by C. Courtney Joyner.

GRAVELAND - In the near future, the first manned mission to Mars crashes. Once there, the crew discovers an ancient civilization of Martians that may actually represent the origins of mankind. Now, the castaways must repair their space shuttle and escape before they are done in by the seemingly hostile Martians or the intensely rugged terrain.

DO OR DIE - Twenty years ago, a comet collided with Earth and infected scores of humans with R.A.D. (Rapid Age Disease). Today, while there is no cure, Ethan Grant has invented an injection that can slow the process. Still, R.A.D. has divided the population into two rival groups: the superior class of Cleans and the underworld of Infecteds. When a Clean woman named Ruth gets impregnated by an Infected man, she joins forces with the Infecteds and works with them to find a cure for her unborn child.

DEATHLANDS - Based on James Axler's Deathlands novels, the story is set in 2104 in a world ravaged by both war and radiation. Powerful tyrants rule the planet, which is now populated by a mix of humans and mutants. A heroic few
band together to overthrow injustice.

DEVIL'S PASS - During a massive blizzard, an escaped convict and an alien survivor from a crashed spaceship separately find their way to the same remote airport. Both have different, but dangerous agendas. The convict is
willing to kill anyone who gets between him and freedom. The alien, meanwhile, is trying to kill off all humankind. Luckily, a beautiful waitress with a renegade streak finds the good in the convict and together they work to save the world.

CONTROL FACTOR - Lance Bishop was an ordinary, energetic, happily married salesman for a large insurance conglomerate...until one day at the office turned his life upside-down. After nearly being killed by a mysterious disheveled man who burst into his office, Lance begins to hear a powerful voice in his head that encourages him to kill his wife.  Questioning his own sanity, Lance discovers the voices are part of a widespread government mind control project. With the help of a few renegades, he must put a stop to a plan that could rob the nation of individual free will.

On December 17, USA Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: USAI) and Vivendi Universal announced the creation of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE), a joint venture that combines the assets of the USA Entertainment Group, including
SCI FI Channel, and the Universal Studios Group.

SCI FI Channel, owned and operated by USA Cable, a division of USA Networks, Inc.'s Entertainment Group, transmits fantastic images to 78 million human homes. Launched in 1992, SCI FI features a continuous stream of cinematic hits, new and original series, and special events, as well as classic sci-fi, fantasy, and horror programming. Check out SCIFI.COM(R), the SCI FI Channel's award-winning Web site, at www.scifi.com.

Policies