Sprint Customers Access Top Entertainment Services Through Entertain ME

Intuitive Entertain ME includes Sprint TV & Movies, Sprint Music Plus, Spotify, Slacker, iHeartRadio, Shazam and Rumpus

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), January 08, 2013 – Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) announced today the launch of Entertain ME, a service within the Sprint Zone application that provides customers using select Android™-powered smartphones a single place to discover, purchase, listen to and personalize their entertainment experience for both music and mobile TV. Entertain ME features Sprint TV & Movies and Sprint Music Plus and mobile entertainment leaders Spotify, Slacker, iHeartRadio, Shazam and Rumpus.

“Entertain ME makes it easy for customers to search for, listen to and watch what they want, and Sprint’s unlimited data plans mean customers don’t have to worry about surprises on their monthly bill from data overage charges like they might with shared data plans from AT&T or Verizon,” said Fared Adib, senior vice president, product development and operations at Sprint. “Entertain ME also delivers a great discovery mechanism for the third-party services we feature there.”

“We are delighted to be a part of Sprint’s Entertain ME service,” said Brian LaKamp, president of digital media for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. “We’re committed to being everywhere our listeners want us to be, and Sprint’s service makes it even easier for users to discover and download iHeartRadio.”

“Shazam is excited to be a part of the launch of Entertain ME with Sprint, giving its customers access to the industry’s fastest tagging and best media engagement for music and television,” said David Jones, executive vice president of marketing, Shazam.

Sprint services enhance customer experience

The popularity of apps and the time spent using them is rapidly increasing – the average number of apps on U.S. consumers’ devices increased 28 percent last year, from 32 apps in 2011 to 41 in 2012.*

“Now more than ever, it’s important to offer our customers helpful ways to make the most of their smartphones and the apps and services it can offer,” said Adib. “Entertain ME is another in a line of Sprint services incorporated into smartphones, such as Sprint Zone and Sprint ID, that brings Sprint customers tools to easily personalize and enhance their mobile experience.”

Sprint Zone on Android-powered smartphones and iPhones delivers customers easy access to information about their Sprint account, Sprint Guardian safety and security apps (for Android users), tips and tricks for their particular device and more.

Sprint ID, available on more than 22 Sprint Android-powered devices, allows customers to instantly download a package of applications, widgets, ringtones and wallpapers with contents to fit their lifestyle and interests. ID packs may have a theme or be brand-specific, including ESPN, MTV, CMT, Disney Channel, E! and OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network).

Entertain ME facts

Located within Sprint Zone on Sprint Android devices, Entertain ME provides search, online and offline playback for music and access to live and video-on-demand content via Sprint TV & Movies. The service will continue to evolve with more content. Entertain ME includes:

• Sprint TV & Movies: More than 15 channels of live breaking news and daytime, primetime and kids’ entertainment, including full episodes of popular primetime TV shows and live sports from ESPN, including the NBA, MLB, college football and basketball. Customers can access Sprint TV & Movies using the unlimited data included with Sprint Everything data plans. Sprint TV & Movies is powered by MobiTV.
• Sprint Music Plus: The official Sprint Music Store for music tracks and full album downloads, ringtones, and ringback tones. Millions of DRM-free music tracks and tones from all major artists updated daily. LiveWire Mobile is the service provider for Sprint Music Plus.
• Spotify: On-demand unlimited music for premium users and customized radio for free and premium users, Spotify provides access to approximately 20 million songs by searching for artists, albums, titles, labels and genres, and gives users access to tracks from many major and independent labels.
• Slacker: Offers millions of songs, hundreds of expert-programmed stations, and news, sports and talk from ABC and ESPN. Listen to free service or subscribe to enjoy deep customization, offline listening and on-demand access to millions of songs and albums.
• iHeartRadio: An all-in-one, free digital service that offers access to more than 1,500 live broadcast and digital-only stations from more than 150 cities, plus user-created Custom Stations inspired by favorite artists and songs. Coming soon to Android phones, iHeartRadio will launch its “Perfect For” feature, allowing listeners to browse through a menu of moods and activities perfect for a particular day and time.
• Shazam: Discover, explore and share music and TV. For music, identify songs in as little as one second, preview or buy the track, and get streaming lyrics, YouTube videos and more. With TV shows, use Shazam anytime for music, celebrity buzz, trivia and more.
• Rumpus: Music discovery service allows customers to navigate through the millions of tracks available, find new artists, learn what has influenced their favorite bands and singers or simply find new tunes they love and create new playlists. Rumpus was developed by Sprint Music Plus service provider Livewire Mobile.

Everything Data plans

• Everything Data plans start at just $79.99 per month (taxes and fees excluded) with Truly Unlimited data, text and calling to any mobile all while on the Sprint network.
• Sprint is continuing its history of data leadership by making it easy for its customers to use data in all the ways that are useful to them, such as music, TV, news, email and GPS navigation, without worrying about data overages on their monthly bill.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served nearly 56 million customers at the end of the third quarter of 2012 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers in customer satisfaction and most improved, across all 47 industries, during the last four years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both its 2011 and 2012 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

*Smartphone Apps claim: “The claim of “average number of apps on U.S. consumers’ devices increased 28 percent in 2012, from 32 apps in 2011 to 41 in 2012″ is based on Sprint’s interpretation of the national Nielsen App Playbook, which compares Q1 2011 to Q1 2012.”