CBC SPORTS AND ZIM TECHNOLOGIES OFFER GREY CUP FANS SMS TEXT MESSAGING

November 22, 2002- Ottawa, CANADA – CBC Sports and ZIM Technologies International Inc. today announced the launch of the ‘CBC Sports Virtual Coach’ interactive SMS text messaging service for the CBC telecast of the 90th Canadian Football League (CFL) league’s championship, the Grey Cup.




Through this interactive service, fans that have registered on http://cbc.ca/sports will receive and respond to questions directly on their two-way SMS text message enabled cellular phones throughout the game. Questions and results will be broadcast on CBC Television throughout the telecast. The questions will be based on game play and fans’ opinions on potential plays.

“This service makes our telecast of the 2002 Grey Cup truly interactive,” said Andrew Lundy, CBC Sports Online’s senior producer. “ We are pushing the envelope of fan interaction and making this telecast the most dynamic yet.”

Developed by leading SMS application provider, ZIM Technologies International Inc., the Virtual Coach service raises the bar for live telecasts in North America by introducing real-time, fun and dynamic fan involvement right to the cellular phone.

“The CBC Sports Virtual Coach demonstrates the natural synergy of the power of SMS combined with the entertainment value of television,” states Dr. Michael Cowpland, President and CEO of ZIM Technologies. “ZIM bridges the gap between data and mobility through SMS and this service makes it fun and exciting too.”

The free service is simple to use. Fans with a mobile phone and two-way text messaging service log on to http://cbc.ca/sports and follow the link for the Virtual Coach and complete the simple registration form. On game day, questions are sent out by SMS to registered users and the responses are then broadcast on CBC Television during the November 24 Grey Cup telecast.

About CBC Sports:

CBC's Sports Online offers Canadian sports fans up-to-the-minute headlines and in-depth features with special interactive sites like the 2002 Grey Cup Web site.

Visitors to the site will find both current and historical data about the Grey Cup, including Grey Cup Classic video highlights and team analysis from CBC's commentators. In addition to these features, fans can also get interactive on game day with the CBC Sports Virtual Coach and help make the game calls by registering at: http://cbc.ca/sports.

About ZIM:

ZIM Technologies International Inc. is privately held and headquartered in the high technology epicentre of Canada – Ottawa. ZIM is a leader in consumer and enterprise applications for the global SMS channel. ZIM brings mobile-enabling to a whole new level of responsiveness and action. ZIM is also an established provider of enterprise-class software and tools for designing, developing and manipulating database systems and applications. Through its SMS expertise and mobile-enabling technologies, ZIM bridges the gap between data and mobility. After all, ZIM is Mobile™. For more information on ZIM and its customers, partners and products, visit: http://www.zim.biz.

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