PRASARA Technologies Launches First Interactive TV Service On Oceanic Cable; Pizza Hut Now Available; More Interactive Services to Follow
LOS ANGELES (BUSINESS WIRE) - December 14, 1999 - PRASARA(TM) Technologies today announced the launch of Pizza Hut(TM) On Demand to Oceanic customers in Mililani, Hawaii. This marks the first deployment of two-way digital interactive television services to paying customers, generating revenue beyond that from traditional cable services. PRASARA's pizza on demand service has been tested on Oceanic Cable since November and is now commercially available to all customers in Mililani with digital set-top boxes.
Hawaii Residents Order Pizza Through Their TV Sets
Mililani customers access Pizza Hut On Demand either through the electronic program guide or through channel 999. The colorful on-screen Pizza Hut menu is easy to navigate and orders are placed with a few clicks of the remote control. The order is transmitted to Pizza Hut, and customers pay for the pizza upon delivery.
"The early success of the pizza on demand service bodes well for offering other interactive television services. It proves there is great potential for additional incremental revenue for cable operators, and exciting new services for customers to try," said Oceanic Cable Vice President - Operations Norm Santos.
The Pizza Hut application is just the first in a series of applications available from PRASARA's platform-independent TV e-commerce engine. Other applications available for cable operators in 1Q2000 include Video on Demand (VOD), TV banking, TV e-retailing and others focused on the core cable business. "Our TV e-Commerce engine enables cost-effective creation of VOD and e-commerce applications which can be customized for each operator or market," said PRASARA President Robert Montgomery.
PRASARA Technologies (www.prasara.com) provides business and technical solutions to cable TV operators for their design, installation, maintenance, and operation of ITV technology. Headquartered in Orlando, Fla., PRASARA brings together the talents and expertise that built the world's first interactive television systems. Its personnel are experts in software development, e-commerce, database marketing, back-office systems, and systems integration. Business relationships include Scientific-Atlanta, General Instrument, Concurrent Computer Corporation, Pioneer, Unisys, Oracle, Power TV, and Time Warner Cable. Current deployments of PRASARA VOD and e-commerce applications include Oceanic Cable, Honolulu, HI and Time Warner Communications, Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL. |
