News Release
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tara Powers, Brian Burch
(616) 233-0500
tpowers@lambert-edwards.com
bburch@lambert-edwards.com
 
Zondervan Announces Free Daily Podcasts of Inspired By... The Bible Experience
Daily Bible Experience Available through iTunes and Zondervan.com

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., January 14, 2008 – Zondervan, the world's leading Bible publisher, today announced a Monday-Friday podcast series of Inspired By... The Bible Experience: The Complete Bible. Listeners can subscribe to the 2-minute segments directly from iTunes or Zondervan.com by going to http://feeds.feedburner.com/TBEPodcasts. The daily podcasts will run through the end of the year. Each podcast will feature a dramatic audio presentation from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The clips were edited by Westar Media Group.

Inspired By... The Bible Experience(www.zondervan.com/tbe), from the Hollywood production team Inspired By Media Group, is the most popular and award-winning audio Bible available today. It features nearly 400 world-renowned celebrities and Christian leaders (3 Oscar winners, 5 Golden Globe winners, 7 Emmy winners, and 23 Grammy winners.), including Forest Whitaker as Moses, Bishop T.D. Jakes as Abraham, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Jonah, Denzel and Pauletta Washington performing Song of Songs, Nick Cannon as Adam and Angela Bassett as Esther. The combination of the unprecedented cast, original musical underscore by the Prague Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood-style sound design created at Technicolor Studios, and the use of the most up-to-date and accessible Bible translation (TNIV: Today's New International Version) is driving its success.

Inspired By... The Bible Experience product has achieved more than 100,000 downloads from iTunes and Audible.com and the Inspired By… The Bible Experience individual books of the Bible currently hold 11 of the top 15 (40 out of the top 100) audiobooks in the Religion & Spirituality category on iTunes, more than any other religious book available online.

"Inspired By... The Bible Experience is the most downloaded Bible on the Internet and Zondervan's fastest-selling Bible. By providing portions of one of our most popular products online for free, we hope to provide listeners with a glimpse into the inherent drama of God's Word every day," says Paul Caminiti, publisher of Bibles at Zondervan. "Our mission at Zondervan is to engage more people in the Bible and to do so we must offer it in a variety of formats and channels. This podcast series is yet another key step in that initiative."

Critically acclaimed for its best-in-class production quality, Inspired By... The Bible Experience has quickly become the category leader. Since its release, nearly a half-million copies of Inspired By... The Bible Experience have entered the market, becoming not just the bestselling audio Bible, but also the industry's fastest-selling new Bible, outselling perennial bestsellers. In June, the New Testament edition was named 2007 Audiobook of the Year, the highest honor attainable, bestowed by the Audio Publishers Association.

About Inspired By Media Group
Branded by its signature banner Inspired By…, Inspired By Media Group, Inc., is committed to serving the faith-based and general markets by creating family oriented products that are culturally relevant in scope. With more than a combined 40 years in the convergent areas of music, television, film, theater, literature, new media, and technology, the company is an industry leader in delivering contemporary multimedia products. Visit Inspired By Media Group on the Web at www.inspiredby.com.
 
Zondervan, a HarperCollins company, is a world leader in Christian communications and the leading Christian publishing brand. For more than 75 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences through general and academic resources by influential leaders and emerging voices, and been honored with more Christian Book Awards than any other publisher. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., with offices in San Diego and Miami, Zondervan conducts events and publishes its bestselling Bibles, books, audio, video, curriculum, software, and digital products through its Zondervan, eZondervan, Zonderkidz, Youth Specialties, Editorial Vida, and National Pastors Convention brands. Zondervan resources are sold worldwide through retail stores, online, and by Zondervan ChurchSource, and are translated into nearly 200 languages in more than 60 countries. Visit Zondervan on the Internet at www.zondervan.com (mobile site: zvan.mobi).