Matsushita Electric Integrates Web Units
<Picture>September 19, 1997 (TOKYO) -- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. integrated its Internet service provider unit called Hi-Ho with its Internet information service, Wonder Town. The new business is called Panasonic Hi-Ho.
Matsushita has been slow to increase Hi-Ho's membership, which remains at about 15,000 as of September, almost two years after its establishment in December 1995.
Wonder Town, which started in June 1996, provides information on entertainment and lifestyles, online shopping and tele-delivery of karaoke for a fee of 500 yen (US$4.10) a month.
The two Internet businesses were operated by different Matsushita divisions. Hi-Ho was run by the Internet business division and Wonder Town by the personal computer business division.
The integrated unit, Panasonic Hi-Ho, will be run by the Internet business division. Matsushita hopes to improve the unit's efficiency and boost overall membership.
Panasonic Hi-Ho members will get free access to Wonder Town until Jan. 15, 1998. Matsushita intends to improve the content of the service.
One of Wonder Town's new features is Panasonic Stream Cast, a video delivery service that distributes Matsushita's own movies.
Panasonic Stream Cast Rental Channel, a video delivery service, will be available for an initial fee of 10,000 yen (US$82.60) and a monthly fee of 10,000 yen. And Matsushita also offers a service called Panasonic Stream Cast Internet Live Broadcast. Customers must have a camera and microphone, and Matsushita offers an encoder and a router.
(Hi-Tech News Center) |
