FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Corporate Communications 214/854-3190   CITIBANK AND BLOCKBUSTER® ANNOUNCE NATIONWIDE ALLIANCE -- Bank Machine Plan Gives Citibank On-the-Ground Presence in 39 States; In-Store Sites Provide Customers with Additional Convenience -- NEW YORK, May 27, 1998 -Citibank and Blockbuster today announced an agreement to install Citibank proprietary banking machines in up to 3,000 Blockbuster Video stores across the country, beginning in the second quarter of 1998. Prior to this announcement, Citibank's banking machines were limited in the US to nine states plus Washington, D.C., though the bank has customers in all 50 states through branch and remote banking services, as well as its credit card and mortgage businesses. This agreement dramatically expands Citibank's ability to serve all of its customers, by giving it a physical presence in 39 states plus the District of Columbia by the mid-year 1999. "We teamed up with Blockbuster because of its strong national presence. Its stores emphasize quality in terms of product and presentation, and locations are numerous and conveniently situated," explained Steve Liguori, head of Citibank's U.S. branch banking business. "By placing Citibank machines in Blockbuster locations across the US, we're making it much more convenient for our customers to do all of their financial business with us." "We are delighted that we can offer the added convenience of ATMs to our members throughout the United States and are pleased to associate Blockbuster with the Citibank brand," said John Antioco, Chief Executive Officer of Blockbuster. "This agreement is the first in a series of strategic marketing partnerships that Blockbuster is developing to provide additional services for our customers." Today's announcement stems from a successful collaboration between the two companies in Latin America, which began in the fall of 1997. Under that agreement, Citibank sites were established at Blockbuster locations in Peru and Columbia, and the program is now being expanded to include locations in Chile and Argentina. In addition, the merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group should be completed in the third quarter of 1998, forming a new company, Citigroup. The merger is expected to generate numerous opportunities for expanding the company's customer base and product lines. The Blockbuster agreement represents a major step forward by establishing a national proprietary Citibank automatic teller machine (ATM) network for its customers to use free of charge. In determining which Blockbuster stores would receive Citibank machines, the two companies are studying in-store traffic patterns, as well as the presence of other ATMs within a given vicinity. Citibank will be responsible for maintaining the machines. The Citibank/Blockbuster banking machines will vary in functionality depending on the location. Over time, most machines will have deposit-taking and other capabilities in addition to cash dispensing. In certain locations, the machines will primarily offer cash withdrawal services. Many of the banking machines will have the capacity for upgrade to provide a wider range of services in the future. Blockbuster operates approximately 6,000 Blockbuster Video and 400 Music neighborhood entertainment stores in the United States, its territories and 26 other countries and may be accessed internationally at www.blockbuster.com. Blockbuster is a unit of Viacom Inc., one of the world's largest entertainment and publishing companies and a leading force in nearly every segment of the international media marketplace. Citibank is the principal operating subsidiary of Citicorp, a global financial services organization serving consumers, businesses, governments and financial institutions through 3,400 locations in 100 countries and territories around the world. Citibank can be reached on the Web at www.citibank.com. ### |  Current Releases   |  Archives   | BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster Entertainment Inc. © 1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.