Oprah Winfrey to Appear at Time Inc.'s 2016 ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans

Organizers of Time Inc.'s (NYSE:TIME) ESSENCE Festival today announced that world renowned television host, actress, producer, philanthropist and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey will appear at the 2016 ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans, presented by Coca-Cola, on Saturday, July 2, 2016 at 4:00pm at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

This will be the first time in the event's 21-year history that Winfrey will appear at the ESSENCE Festival. Winfrey joins speakers Bishop T.D. Jakes, Ava DuVernay, Rev. Al Sharpton, Misty Copeland and Tyra Banks, as well as performers Mariah Carey, Kendrick Lamar, Maxwell, Puff Daddy and THE FAMILY and many more at the annual event - recognized as the nation's largest gathering of African-American women.

"Oprah's message of inspiration is universal and, through her life's work, she has influenced women and girls across the globe," said ESSENCE Editor-in-Chief Vanessa De Luca. "We are delighted that Iyanla Vanzant graciously invited Oprah to the ESSENCE Festival as a special gift for the fans, so we are welcoming our passionate community to join us for an absolutely extraordinary experience not to be missed."

The annual ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans, presented by Coca-Cola, is one of the nation's largest live events. Each year, the Festival draws, on average, 500,000 attendees from across the globe to its multi-day entertainment, empowerment and cultural event, which generates an economic impact of more than $200 million to the local economy. Now in its 22nd year, the ESSENCE Festival has featured some of the biggest names in entertainment and the nation's most influential speakers, authors and leaders, including Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Prince, Janet Jackson, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Kahn, Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Rev. Al Sharpton, Deepak Chopra, StEve Harvey, Ava DuVernay, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Magic Johnson, Iyanla Vanzant and many more.

Join the ESSENCE Festival community: Follow us on Twitter @essencefest #EssenceFest and become a fan of 2016 ESSENCE Festival on Facebook. The 2016 ESSENCE Festival is executive produced by ESSENCE Festivals LLC, a division of ESSENCE Communications Inc., and produced by Solomon Group. GeChar is the executive producer of the 2016 ESSENCE Empowerment Experience.

Exclusive sponsors of the 2016 ESSENCE Festival include presenting sponsor Coca-Cola and major sponsors Ford, McDonald's, State Farm, Verizon and Walmart. Superlounge sponsors include Coca-Cola, Ford and Walmart. The All-Star Gospel Tribute is sponsored by Walmart.

ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC. Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media company dedicated to African-American women, with a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events and online. The company's flagship publication, Essence magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women, generating brand extensions such as the Essence Festival, Essence Black Women in Hollywood and Black Women in Music, Window on Our Women and Smart Beauty consumer insights series, Essence.com and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 46 years, Essence, which has a brand reach of 14.2 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information and specific solutions relating to every area of African-American women's lives. Additional information about ECI and Essence is available at www.essence.com.

ABOUT TIME INC. Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) is one of the world's leading media companies, with a monthly global print audience of over 120 million and worldwide digital properties that attract more than 150 million visitors each month, including over 60 websites. Our influential brands include People, Sports Illustrated, InStyle, Time, Real Simple and Southern Living, as well as more than 50 diverse titles in the United Kingdom.