June 25, 2001 - Burst! Media, a leading online advertising network representing specialty-content web publishers, today announced it has achieved 6,795% revenue growth over its first five years of business. Burst! attributes its impressive growth to the high quality standards maintained by its niche network, the company's longevity in an ever-changing online advertising environment, and the increased recognition of the value of focused, single-topic web sites in media buys. Burst's network represents destination web sites that attract passionate, well-defined audiences that are highly attractive to brand advertisers.

"We are thrilled with the extraordinary growth of Burst! during these tremendous and tumultuous first five years of online advertising," said Jarvis Coffin, President and CEO of Burst! Media. "When my partners and I founded Burst! way back in 1995, we believed this phenomenon called 'the Internet' would bring about the greatest publishing revolution since the printing press. At Burst! we have remained true to our founding principal of supporting the vital business and creative needs of specialty-content web publishers – those who create content that people really care about, and the reason people go online in the first place. Our robust revenue growth is testament to the profound value of the content these devoted publishers produce and to which passionate audiences are attracted."

According to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), the online advertising industry has grown from virtually zero in 1994 to $8.2 billion in 2000 – a new-media trajectory unmatched in the annals of advertising. In recent months, traditional, offline, 'brand' advertisers now represent the majority of online advertising (56 out of the top 100 online advertisers), according to recent data from Nielsen/NetRatings, eclipsing dot-com advertising for the first time.

John Carroll, vice president of Summit Partners, said, "In a rapidly-evolving industry where only the strong and innovative survive, Burst! Media has not only survived – it has thrived – achieving staggering revenue growth while continuing its enduring support of those who create niche content. According to a number of online media observers, marketers are expected to spend anywhere between $9 and $10 billion on online advertising in 2001. Burst! is uniquely positioned and well-poised to take advantage of this burgeoning market."

Coffin added, "At Burst! we believe that the true and lasting value of the Internet is in the experience – the phenomenon, the passion – that develops around high-quality, yet often less-well-known sites with content that people can connect to. It is this strong sense of community that gives specialty-content web sites their greater advertising potential and unique media value compared to large, highly-branded web sites which lack depth and passion."