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Press Release -- February 3rd, 2011
Source: Sprint Nextel
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Virgin Mobile USA Announces Strategic Partnership with Relativity Media

Multi-Year Partnership to Include Exclusive Movie Content & Film Co-Promotion

WARREN, N.J. (BUSINESS WIRE), February 03, 2011 – Virgin Mobile USA and Relativity Media, one of the largest independent film studios announced today a two-year marketing alliance providing movie fans everywhere with unique Hollywood experiences, including access for fans to exclusive film content, premiere red carpet events, and working film sets. The deal extends the relationship Virgin Group already has with Relativity Media through Sir Richard Branson’s film production arm-Virgin Produced. Additionally, Virgin Mobile products will be incorporated into some of the upcoming 2011 and 2012 films going into production.

To celebrate the announcement of this partnership, Virgin Mobile will launch Virgin Mobile Live today, the no-contract carrier’s new lifestyle portal on Facebook, showcasing exclusive music and film content. Virgin Mobile Live will debut an exclusive live streamed interview on Thursday, February 3 at noon EST featuring James Cameron, director of Oscar®-winning Avatar and Titanic. The interview will be conducted entirely underwater at the Long Beach Aquarium in California to discuss Cameron’s new 3D film, Sanctum, opening in theaters nationwide on February 4, 2011. Fans will be able to tweet their questions on Virgin Mobile Live and watch Cameron respond live underwater. To learn more, go to facebook.com/virginmobilelive and “like” the site.

“Virgin Mobile is a unique and exciting partner for us at Relativity. We look forward to promoting our projects with them in a multitude of ways,” says Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh. “Having access to Virgin Mobile’s expansive subscriber network, and the marketing machine of Virgin is exciting, and the way of the future. The value of direct access to these target moviegoers is tremendous, and we are thrilled to be deepening our current relationship with Virgin Group.”

“We’ve built a lot of memorable moments together with our fans in the music world,” said Ron Faris, Virgin Mobile’s head of brand experiences. “Given the unlimited appetite our customers have for content, film felt like a natural next step to deepen that level of engagement. And you couldn’t find a more inspired group of people to bring this to life than Ryan and his team at Relativity.”

Virgin Mobile’s commitment to exclusive content is one of many ways the company is looking to showcase their breakthrough Beyond Talk unlimited data plans and the release this week of the hot new LG Optimus V™ Android phone. This March, the company will align with Relativity’s release of Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro a paranoia-fueled action thriller about an unpublished writer whose life is transformed by a top-secret “smart drug” that allows him to use 100 percent of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. His enhanced abilities soon attract shadowy forces that threaten his new life. The film will open nationwide in theaters March 18th.

Virgin Mobile Live, which launched in July of 2010 as Virgin Mobile’s 24/7 music and entertainment stream, featured rock, hip hop, indie, pop and dance remixes with 24-hour-a-day live and taped streaming audio programming. The new Facebook portal will not only continue to stream music 24/7 with its signature host, Abbey Braden, but will also now focus on promoting all Virgin Mobile lifestyle programs, including Virgin Mobile FreeFest, The Monster Ball starring Lady Gaga, and films from Relativity Media. To learn more, go to facebook.com/virginmobilelive and “like” the site.

Relativity currently has Golden Globe®-winner and seven-time Oscar®-nominee The Fighter in theatres, via Paramount Pictures, starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams. Relativity’s 2011 slate also includes current release Season of the Witch starring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman. The hilarious Take Me Home Tonight debuts on March 4th starring Topher Grace and Anna Faris. Following on March 18th, is the much-anticipated Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish and Oscar®-winner Robert De Niro. Relativity recently announced its acquisition of the Untitled David R. Ellis 3D Shark Thriller which will release in theatres on September 2nd. Finally on November 11th, 2011 is Immortals starring Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, Kellan Lutz, with John Hurt and Mickey Rourke.

ABOUT RELATIVITY MEDIA, LLC

Relativity Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company that focuses on creating, financing and distributing entertainment content and intellectual property across multiple platforms, as well as making strategic partnerships with, and opportunistic investments in, media and entertainment-related companies and assets. Relativity owns and operates Rogue, a company that specializes in the production and distribution of films targeted to the 13-25 year old audience. Building upon its foundation of financing and producing films, Relativity has grown to include music, sports and television divisions and the next-generation social network iamrogue.com. Relativity also owns and operates RelativityREAL, Relativity’s television arm, which has become one of the leading suppliers of reality television with more than 20 shows in episodic or pilot.

To date, Relativity has committed to, produced and/or financed more than 200 studio-quality motion pictures through 2014. Released films have accumulated more than $15.0 billion in worldwide box office revenue. Relativity’s recent films include Salt, Despicable Me, Grown Ups, Charlie St. Cloud, Dear John, It’s Complicated, Zombieland, Couples Retreat, Get Him to the Greek, Robin Hood, and, most recently, The Fighter, Little Fockers, Season of the Witch and The Social Network. Upcoming films for Relativity include James Cameron’s Sanctum in 3D, Limitless, Take Me Home Tonight, Immortals, Battle: Los Angeles and Cowboys & Aliens. 33 of the company’s films have opened at No. 1 at the box office. Relativity films have earned 60 Oscar® nominations, including nods for Nine, A Serious Man, Frost/Nixon, Atonement, American Gangster and 3:10 to Yuma. 53 of Relativity’s films have each generated more than $100 million in worldwide box-office receipts.

About Virgin Mobile USA

Virgin Mobile USA, one of Sprint’s prepaid brands, offers millions of customers control, flexibility and connectivity through Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk™ plans for mobile phone service and prepaid Broadband2Go high-speed Web access. Virgin Mobile branded handsets are available at more than 40,000 retail stores, including Best Buy, Radio Shack, Target and Walmart. Top-Up cards are available at approximately 150,000 locations nationwide and can be used for Broadband2Go services. Purchase and experience Virgin Mobile on the Web and at Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and www.virginmobileusa.com.

Contact(s):

Virgin Mobile USA
Corinne Nosal, 908-607-4235
or
Relativity Media, LLC
Adam Keen, 310-724-7720

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