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MEDIA RELEASE - 3 April, 2002
itv|world announces partnership with NDS to develop and market
its In|Orbit™ Service Management System for interactive television
.
Sydney --April 3, 2002--itv|world, a Sydney based specialist
provider of technology solutions for interactive services, today
announced that it has joined the iPartner program of NDS,
a News Corporation company and the world's leading provider of conditional
access systems and interactive applications for digital TV. The
partnership, which will give itv|world access to NDS' world leading
Value@TV™ interactive television and NDS Media Storm™ datacasting
platforms, will play a key role in the development and marketing
of itv|world's flagship product, the In|Orbit Service Management
System for iTV.
In|Orbit is a revolutionary software product which offers access
to a specific set of functions on a service by service basis to
broadcasters and service providers looking to cut costs and maximise
impact and efficiency in the implementation of interactive television.
Researched and developed by Australian owned company, itv|world,
the product is now at the beginning of its commercialisation phase
with trials planned with a number of leading broadcasters, network
providers advertising agencies and service providers in key regional
and international markets.
According to recent research from Allied Business Intelligence,
the array of iTV services will experience an explosive annual growth
rate of 59%, totaling over 244 million households worldwide by 2006
and resulting in revenues from ITV services increasing from $300
million in 2000 to $19.2 billion in 2006.
"itv|world has entered into fruitful discussions with NDS Australia
with regard to the In|Orbit product and both parties recognise the
opportunity that lies in combining In|Orbit with existing NDS products"
said Sven Wolf, Product Development Director, itv|world. "With the
number of interactive services growing on every network, In|Orbit
is already attracting substantial interest from broadcasters looking
for the most efficient management solution for the seamless introduction
and maintenance of these services and their associated content across
multiple platforms," Wolf said.
"We are pleased that itv|world's iTV software will be incorporated
into the NDS' iPartner program" said Peter Iles, NDS General Manager
Asia Pacific. "We are currently looking to explore these synergies
further, both from a commercial and technical viewpoint. Working
with itv|world's In|Orbit product will help NDS offer a robust,
end-to-end solution to broadcasters looking to cut the costs in
the service lifecycle and deliver a more compelling interactive
television experience for the consumer", continued Mr Iles.
About itv|world
Headquartered in Sydney, itv|world is a privately held company that
has been in operation since 1999. itv|world is a professional services
firm providing solutions across all televisual media platforms including
Internet/broadband and digital TV. Assembling the best of media
and engineering, itv|world combines the production values of television
with software solutions and products for interactivity - providing
innovative technical and creative services for enhanced media, iTV,
advertising and personalised programming applications.
In May 2001, itv|world received a $1.35million R&D Start grant
from AusIndustry, boosting development of its flagship product,
the In|Orbit Service Management System for iTV. Assisted by a further
COMET (Commercialisation of Technology) grant from the Federal Government,
commercial trials with broadcasters, advertising agencies and service
providers are already being planned. The InOrbit development team
has brought together senior managers and developers from overseas
iTV deployments as well as local expertise from companies such as
BSkyB, Alcatel, Ericsson and Telstra.
Additional information can be found at www.itvworld.com.
About NDS
NDS Group plc (NASDAQ/ NASDAQ Europe: NNDS) is a leading supplier
of open conditional access software and interactive systems for
the secure delivery of entertainment and information to all levels
of television set-top boxes and personal computers. The company
also develops secure datacasting solutions for the distribution
of data and multimedia. See http://www.nds.com
for more information.
For further information contact:
Charlotte Faunce
Media Relations, itv|world
charlotte@itvworld.com
Phone: + 61 2 9288 4711
Mobile: + 0407 009217
Sam Dunseath-Hamilton
iTV Business Development Manager
NDS Asia-Pacific Pty Ltd
Level 31,
Northpoint
100 Miller Street
North Sydney NSW 2060.
DL +61 (0) 2 9025 3003
Fx +61 (0) 2 9025 3099
Mob +61 (0) 414 826 706
Shamilton@ndsuk.com
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