PCCW Selects ICTV ActiveVideo Distribution Network for "now TV" Interactive Services

PCCW Selects ICTV ActiveVideo Distribution Network for "now TV" Interactive Services

October 25, 2006

    LOS GATOS, Calif. and HONG KONG, Oct. 25
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- ICTV(R), creator of on-demand
solutions that seamlessly blend the choice and control of
broadband video with the quality and responsiveness of
television, and PCCW Limited, the leading communications
provider in Hong Kong, today announced that the ICTV
ActiveVideo Distribution Network (AVDN(TM)) has been
selected to enable interactive channels via television to
subscribers of PCCW's now TV service.

    The first ActiveVideo channel offered by now TV is the
completely interactive "Movie Trailer Channel"
that PCCW has launched in partnership with United Artists,
one of the leading cinema groups in Hong Kong.  The Movie
Trailer Channel allows subscribers to preview movies,
choose cinema locations, check program times, request seat
locations, and buy tickets using just their standard remote
controls.  The channel is the first in a series of
ActiveVideo channels and applications that will deliver
more interactive services to now TV's 654,000 subscribers.

    The ActiveVideo Distribution Network is a usage-based
content distribution service that enables operators,
programmers and advertisers to bring video programming and
advertising models from the Internet to the television,
including high-CPM ads that are targeted, auditable,
interactive and actionable.  AVDN delivers Web-driven
programming and live and VOD streams -- all with superior
TV quality -- over the existing two-way network
infrastructure to any digital set-top box.    

    "ICTV has provided the quality and scalability
that have enabled us to offer the most powerful interactive
television platform in the world," said Dominic Leung,
Managing Director, Television & Content of PCCW. 
"The Movie Trailer Channel is the first example of how
ActiveVideo Distribution Network will enable our subscribers
to find and control an entirely new series of television
channels of high-quality video with interactivity and
information that specifically meets their individual
preferences."

    "Over the past two years, PCCW has established now
TV as a world leader in the deployment of IPTV," said
Jeff Miller, President and CEO of ICTV.  "We believe
that the ability of ActiveVideo to bring standards-based,
Web-driven programming and Internet-style advertising to
the television will be a significant factor in helping
operators like PCCW to dynamically expand the scope of
their offerings and capture new subscriber and advertising
revenue." 

    One of the world's largest and most advanced IPTV
deployments, now TV enables subscribers to choose their
preferred programs from more than 110 channels.  The
service provides 15 channels at no charge, and allows
subscribers to select others using an "a la
carte" pricing system. 

    Capitalizing on the ability to deliver Web programming
as MPEG video to any digital set-top box, the ICTV
ActiveVideo platform is entirely standards-based, requiring
no custom integration or proprietary development.  Live and
VOD programming can be blended seamlessly with content that
is created and modified quickly using standard Web tools and
talent, and distributed via standard Web infrastructure.  
The ActiveVideo platform utilizes existing on-demand
infrastructure, delivering all programming from the headend
as MPEG video while using the on-demand return path to
receive user input to control the programming and provide
interactivity.  This unique approach requires little set
top resources and integrates with and extends existing
set-top based interactive approaches.

    With ActiveVideo Channels, network operators and
programmers can enhance the value of existing channels by
allowing viewers to take active control of what they see
and when they see it.  As an example, through simple clicks
on their remote controls, television viewers can select an
ActiveVideo Channel from the standard program guide and
enter a broadband experience that includes multiple video
windows, navigational elements, channel branding, banner
advertisements, and links to different video segments and
images.  Screens can be manipulated to reflect personal
viewing interests and purchasing preferences.  Clicking on
advertisements within the ActiveVideo experience enables
interaction with sponsor messages, including
"telescoping" to let consumers request more
information, watch a demonstration or make a purchase.

    About ICTV 

    ICTV(R) offers network-based television solutions that
combine broadband video choice, control and Internet-style
advertising models with TV quality and responsiveness.  The
company's ActiveVideo(TM) platform uses standards-based
content creation, distribution and delivery technologies to
seamlessly deliver Web-driven programming and elements, live
video and VOD to the television.  The company's
HeadendWare(R) platform enables the highest quality
interactive experience -- including animation,
high-fidelity audio, and live and Web video.  Using ICTV
technology, programmers and advertisers can deliver a
limitless array of personalized content and advertising,
all developed and managed with open Web tools, technology,
and talent.  The company is based in the heart of
California's Silicon Valley, with offices in Baltimore and
the United Kingdom.  Strategic investors include Liberty
Media, Motorola, OpenTV and Lauder Partners.  For more
information, visit http://www.ictv.com .
 
    ICTV and HeadendWare are registered trademarks, and
ActiveVideo and AVDN are trademarks of ICTV, Inc.

    For more information, please contact:

     Paul Schneider 
     PSPR, Inc.
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

SOURCE  ICTV