FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 8, 2009

BBC AND YERZIES LAUNCH DESIGN COMPETITION FOR T-SHIRTS INSPIRED BY THE WONDERS OF PLANET EARTH

Running through April 27, Competition Looking for User-Created T-Shirt Designs Inspired by the Ultimate Portrait of our Planet, Planet Earth, the Award-Winning Natural History Series from the BBC

HERMITAGE, PA. — New York, NY- April 8, 2009- As a true global leader in the production of natural history programming and content, with an archive of more than 50,000 hours of awe-inspiring footage spotlighting the people, animals and places that make up this incredible planet, the BBC has become the lens through which millions of people see the natural world and all its wonder, helping create a greater sense of awareness about our planet.

From the highest mountains to the deepest oceans, filmmakers from the BBC’s Natural History Unit traverse the globe to track down the most interesting, entertaining and fascinating stories from nature, inspiring audiences around the world. Through their award-winning productions, from Planet Earth to Blue Planet, the BBC enables viewers to get close to animals in exquisite, dramatic and remote locations, and witness rarely seen behavior and extraordinary survival stories.

Now, the BBC is bringing all of its natural history content together under one brand, BBC Earth. Visible across all platforms, including TV, digital and merchandising, BBC Earth encourages engagement with current programming, classic productions and future commissions and represents the wonder, creativity and passion that the natural world can inspire in all of us.

Just as the natural world has been an ongoing source of inspiration for hundreds of BBC filmmakers for over 50 years, BBC Earth is now hoping that nature will become a source of creativity and wonder through a unique and exciting challenge to create the most compelling t-shirt design inspired by Planet Earth.

In partnership with Yerzies, an online marketplace that combines user-generated and licensed content with on-demand manufacturing, BBC Earth is launching a t-shirt design competition, inspired by the ultimate portrait of our planet, Planet Earth, the award-winning natural history series from the BBC.

The contest launches April 8, 2009 at www.yerzies.com/planetearth. The deadline for entries is April 27th.

Users can submit as many designs as they wish. BBC Earth will select five finalists from all submissions, and the winning design will be selected by the BBC Earth/Yerzies user community. The winner will receive $750 and the design will be available for purchase at Yerzies.com

Voting run April 30 through May 13, and any yerzies.com registered user can cast a vote for their favorite design finalist. The winner will be announced on May 18.

About Planet Earth

A celebration of our natural world, Planet Earth is the BBC’s successful nature series that leaves no corner of the globe unexplored. The series, which aired in the U.S. on the Discovery Channel, was filmed over a five year period by producer Alastair Fothergill and his team. Using HD photography and specially developed filming techniques, Planet Earth takes the viewer around the globe on an extraordinary journey of discovery. It reveals breathtaking new perspectives on the Earth’s landscapes, brings the viewer closer than ever to the world’s best-loved animals and uncovers the rarest of creatures.

The 11-episode Planet Earth series was one of the most-watched cable events of all time with more than 65 million cumulative viewers, as well as the top performing video-on-demand event in Discovery’s history. Additionally, Planet Earth is the best selling high definition DVD release in history and has become BBC Video’s biggest selling DVD release of all time.

To find out more about our extraordinary world and Planet Earth, visit www.bbcearth.com, a digital destination for anyone passionate about the planet on which they live. bbcearth.com brings natural history to life through incredible photography and films as well as fresh content from wildlife experts.

About BBC Worldwide

BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company exists to maximise the value of the BBC’s assets for the benefit of the licence payer and invest in public service programming in return for rights. The company has seven core businesses: Global Channels, Global TV Sales, Magazines, Content & Production, Home Entertainment, Global Brands and Digital Media. In 2006/07 BBC Worldwide generated profits of £111 million on sales of £810 million.

About Yerzies.com

Yerzies combines on-demand manufacturing with the power of crowd sourcing, making it possible for anyone to create their own customized apparel. Users can purchase as little as one-piece, or sell their creations to other users and keep the profits. Yerizes allows an unprecedented array of creative options including direct-to-garment printing (including dark garments), metallic foils, flocks, glitters, glow-in-the-dark materials and stitched processes. Yerzies can be accessed at www.yerzies.com

For more information or images, please contact:

Dan Klores Communications

Karen Silberg / Ann Hinshaw

212-685-4300

karen_silberg@dkcnews.com/ann_hinshaw@dkcnews.com

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