PURCHASE, N.Y., June 2, 2005 – Lenovo Group Ltd. (HKSE: 992; ADR: LNVGY) and NBC, a subsidiary of General Electric (NYSE: GE), today jointly announced that Lenovo has been chosen as NBC’s computer equipment provider to support the network’s coverage of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. NBC is the U.S. rights holder for the Torino Games.
As part of the agreement, NBC will lease computer equipment from Lenovo, including ThinkCentre desktop and ThinkPad notebook PCs and maintenance to support its broadcast operations for the Olympic Games. General Electric is also a worldwide sponsor of the Olympic Games. Furthermore, Lenovo has agreed to become an advertiser on NBC’s coverage of the Torino Games in the United States.
“Today’s announcement illustrates Lenovo’s ability to provide computing equipment for companies on a world-class level. We created an equipment package that meets NBC’s exacting standards for performance, reliability and efficiency,” said Yang Yuanqing, chairman of Lenovo Group. “The Olympic Winter Games in Torino are the perfect opportunity to showcase the new Lenovo’s ability to provide cutting edge, cost effective computer equipment solutions for large scale global companies. Coming on the heels of our successful phase-one equipment and service testing for the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, this agreement with NBC is another demonstration of the innovative and rigorous approach Lenovo is bringing to its global PC business.” Craig S. Lau, Vice President in charge of NBC’s Olympics Information Technology, said, “Lenovo offers us an impressive equipment solution for our coverage of the Torino Winter Games. Our multi-platform coverage presents enormous technical challenges, particularly in the winter as we connect the Torino-based broadcast center to venues throughout the city and the surrounding mountains, in an environment where we rely on digital processes more than ever. This partnership will further enhance our ability to deliver the best possible Olympic Games coverage to the American audience.”
In April, Lenovo announced the successful completion of its phase-one equipment and service testing for the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. As the world’s third-largest Personal Computing equipment company, Lenovo Group employs 19,000 people worldwide and is worldwide technology equipment sponsor of the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games — providing notebook and desktop PCs, servers, storage devices and other computing equipment.
About NBC NBC, “America’s Olympic Network,” owns the exclusive U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games, television’s most powerful property, through 2012. Next February, NBC Universal will present the 2006 Olympic Winter Games from Torino, Italy (February 10-26, 2006). Last August, the networks of NBC Universal—NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, and NBC’s high-definition affiliates—offered 1,210 hours of Olympic coverage from Athens, nearly tripling NBC’s total hours from Sydney in 2000. The historic coverage, watched by 203 million viewers, was both a financial and critical success. NBC Universal’s coverage of the Athens Games accomplished a number of firsts; including the first ever 24-hour Olympic coverage featuring all 28 Summer Olympic sports and the first non-English language Olympic broadcast in U.S. television history with Telemundo’s Spanish-language broadcast.
About Lenovo Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992; ADR: LNVGY) is an innovative, international computer hardware company comprised of the former IBM Personal Computing Division and Lenovo. The new Lenovo is the world’s third largest PC vendor and develops, manufactures, and markets the most reliable, secure, and easy-to-use technology products.
Lenovo offers the award-winning ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops, featuring the ThinkVantage Technologies software tools as well as ThinkVision monitors and a full line of PC accessories and options. It is headquartered in New York, employs 19,000 people worldwide and has major development operations in the U.S, China and Japan. Lenovo serves businesses and consumers in 160 countries around the world and is the leading PC vendor in China, one of the world’s fastest growing markets.
In March 2004, Lenovo joined The Olympic Partner Program of the International Olympic Committee to become the computer technology equipment partner of the IOC for the period from 2005 to 2008. Lenovo has been entrusted by the IOC to provide PCs, servers and storage for the Games. Lenovo subscribes to the Olympic ideals of international understanding, fair competition and the desire to excel and exceed in all efforts.
For more information, please visit www.lenovo.com .