NBA Powerhouse Kevin Garnett Stars in Verizon's New 'This is FiOS; This is Big' Ad Campaign

NEW YORK, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Eleven-time NBA All Star and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett is the latest A-list celebrity to star in a new advertising campaign for Verizon FiOS services. Themed "This is FiOS; This is Big," the campaign showcases the groundbreaking services delivered over Verizon's advanced fiber-optic network straight to customers' homes. Created for Verizon by McCann Erickson, New York, the new ad launches Thursday (May 22).

The "This is FiOS; This is Big" ad campaign kicked off in February with a FiOS Internet spot featuring high-octane Hollywood film director Michael Bay. The newest ad starring Garnett is a 30-second television spot highlighting Verizon FiOS TV's innovative Home Media DVR, which gives customers the power to record videos on one television set, then view them on up to six other TV sets in their homes.

Garnett is regarded as one of the best all-around players in NBA history. His accomplishments include being voted Most Valuable Player of the 2003-2004 NBA season, and being named to 11 All-Star teams and nine All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. He is the all-time leader in NBA seasons played with averages of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game.

"Kevin Garnett is the ultimate, game-changing NBA star, and FiOS TV is the ultimate, game-changing entertainment experience," said John Wimsatt, senior vice president of marketing for Verizon Telecom. "The combination of his larger-than-life talent, personality and achievements is a perfect match for the excitement that FiOS TV brings to home entertainment."

The new TV spot is set in a venerable Boston mansion that is decorated in a comically lavish style. Garnett towers over a slender Verizon technician who shows him how he can record videos in his family room, then watch them on other TV sets located throughout the house, including in a five-story stairwell; in a formal dining room (complete with a silver platter piled with a two-foot-high stack of gourmet hamburgers); in a massive library; and even on top of a grand piano.

Garnett, in keeping with the light-hearted tone of the spot, pokes fun at himself and at the cliche of the wealthy, technology-obsessed professional athlete. He proudly tries out the multiple-screen capabilities of the FiOS DVR on the big-screen TVs installed in his bathroom and his laundry room, and joins the technician to enjoy an action film in front of a huge fireplace with a roaring fire. The ad closes with the star-struck Verizon technician nervously trying to "fist-bump" Garnett.

(NOTE: A high-quality MPEG4 video of the new Verizon FiOS ad featuring Kevin Garnett is available for download at http://verizon.wieck.com/ .)

"Our Home Media DVR completely changes the way families enjoy TV," said Wimsatt. "Most cable company DVRs only let you record and watch content in one room, so the shows you most want to see are locked in one room, and so are you. The FiOS TV Home Media DVR frees family members to watch recorded programming and enjoy the stunning picture quality of FiOS TV whenever and wherever they want, in any room in the house -- with just one DVR. You can even start watching a show in one room and finish it in another."

The Home Media DVR also gives users the ability to create picture slideshows and music playlists on their PCs and then transfer them to their home entertainment systems so they can be enjoyed on TV.

Capabilities of the Home Media DVR, delivered to FiOS TV customers over the nation's most advanced, fiber-optic network, straight to their homes, include:

-- Record favorite standard-definition shows and have the freedom to view them anytime on up to seven TVs in the home, not just the one the DVR is hooked up to. -- Watch up to three separately recorded shows on up to three TVs, simultaneously. -- Record two programs at once while watching live TV. -- Pause and rewind live TV; pause, rewind and fast-forward recorded shows. -- Pause a recorded show in one room then finish viewing it in another. -- Enjoy on your TV content that is stored on your PC, such as slide shows and music. -- Block access to content with easy-to-use parental controls. -- Save money by using one DVR to record content that can be enjoyed on every TV in the home.

Verizon's all-digital FiOS TV service is available to more than 6.5 million homes in 13 states: California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia. In the little more than two years since the service first launched, the company has signed up more than 1.2 million FiOS TV customers who enjoy hundreds of digital video and music channels, high-definition linear and on-demand programming, the nation's largest collection of video-on-demand content, a robust interactive media guide, and other advanced features.

To learn more about FiOS TV, visit http://www.verizon.com/fiostv .

Verizon Communications Inc. , headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 67 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employed a diverse workforce of approximately 232,000 as of the end of the first quarter 2008 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com/.

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