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OpenTV
Announces Definitive Agreement to Provide Full Suite
of Interactive Services to Foxtel, Australia's Leading
Subscription Television Service
Thursday
January 22, 8:41 am ET
FOXTEL announces final stages of operational testing
for FOXTEL Digital cable and satellite, incorporating
OpenTV middleware and interactive applications. Launch
expected in the first half of 2004.
SAN
FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2004-- OpenTV
(Nasdaq:OPTV - News), one of the world's leading interactive
television companies, today announced that it had
signed a definitive agreement to provide FOXTEL with
key middleware technology and interactive applications
that will be integrated into the FOXTEL Digital product
offering. OpenTV has licensed its products and software
to FOXTEL under the arrangement, and also expects
to provide related support services through the life
of the agreement. FOXTEL is Australia's leading subscription
television service, and is a joint venture of Telstra
Corporation, the largest telecommunications company
in Australia, News Corporation, and Publishing and
Broadcasting Limited, a media and communications company.
FOXTEL
has made a significant investment (estimated to be
A$600 million) in upgrading their digital technology
to enable the delivery of new channels, programming,
digital picture and sound, as well as interactive
and enhanced services. FOXTEL will use OpenTV's technologies
and applications to provide subscribers with access
to several interactive services, such as:
Sky
News Active, an interactive service allowing viewers
to control and choose the news they want to view from
eight live video and five live text screens.
Sports
Active, an interactive sports application, which enables
viewers to select multiple camera angles and match
replays together with game statistics, player profiles
and even different audio feeds on selected sports
broadcasts.
FOXTEL Gamesworld, a portal offering subscribers access
to two games channels with ten different games with
both easy to play titles and games that test the mind.
"Every
FOXTEL Digital subscriber will have access to new,
unique interactive functionalities that have been
designed with the viewer in mind, giving them choice,
convenience, and control over their television viewing
experience," said Patrick Delany, FOXTEL Director
of Digital. "OpenTV is a key supplier that will
enable FOXTEL to show Australia what interactivity
is all about. The talk is over, it's here."
"We
look forward to working closely with FOXTEL over the
coming years as we help develop the FOXTEL Digital
service into a showcase for the future of interactive
television," said James Ackerman, CEO, OpenTV.
"The launch of FOXTEL Digital will revolutionize
how Australians watch and experience television. Viewers
will now be able to choose the news they want to watch
and when they want to watch it, or select a certain
camera angle from which to watch their favorite sport.
OpenTV is very excited to contribute to this ambitious
project to significantly enhance how viewers watch
and interact with television."
Cautionary
Language Regarding Forward-Looking Information
The
foregoing information contains certain "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the United
States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These statements are based on management's current
expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes
in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially
from these expectations due to changes in political,
economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory
factors. In particular, factors that could cause our
actual results to differ include risks related to:
market acceptance of interactive television services
and applications such as ours; delays in the development
or introduction of new applications and versions of
our service; technical difficulties with networks
or operating systems; our ability to manage our resources
effectively; changes in technologies that affect the
television industry; and the protection of our proprietary
information. These and other risks are more fully
described in our periodic reports and registration
statements filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission and can be obtained online at the Commission's
web site at http://www.sec.gov. Readers should consider
the information contained in this release together
with other publicly available information about our
company for a more informed overview of our company.
We disclaim any intention or obligation to update
or revise any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About
OpenTV
One
of the world's leading interactive television companies,
OpenTV provides a comprehensive suite of technology,
content, games, tools, applications, and professional
services that enables cable and satellite network
operators, programmers and advertisers to provide
interactive television services in over 70 countries.
OpenTV has its Corporate Offices in San Francisco,
California and regional offices in the United States,
Europe and Asia/Pacific. For more information, please
visit www.opentv.com
OpenTV
and the OpenTV logo are trademarks or registered trademarks
of OpenTV, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.
All
OpenTV products and services may not be available
in all geographic areas.
Contact:
OpenTV
Rich Hornstein, 415-962-5484
investorrelations@opentv.com
Links:
Open
TV
Foxtel
Profiles
Foxtel
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