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CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES and Sun Microsystems Accelerate Deployment of Open Interactive Digital T.V. Through Strategic Business Relationship & Equity Investment
CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES to Leverage Sun's Java Technologies and Server Platforms in an Integrated, End to End iTV Offering
PARIS & PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 5, 2001-- CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES and Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced a worldwide relationship to accelerate Java(TM) technology-based open standards for interactive digital television. Working together, CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES and Sun will help enable operators and content providers to develop new entertainment, news and information, and educational services for today's digital lifestyle.
CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES and Sun will work together to promote industry acceptance and rapid deployment of Java technology in advanced digital set top boxes. In addition, CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES will license Sun's PersonalJava(TM) platform for integration with its MEDIAHIGHWAY(TM) middleware solution and port its cable headend infrastructure products to Sun's Solaris(TM) Operating Environment and Sun(TM) Cluster 3.0 software. iTV application servers for capabilities such as real-time interactive gaming or chat applications intend to be ported to the Sun platform.
``CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES shares our vision that open platforms are critical to the success of the global interactive television market,'' said Patricia C. Sueltz, executive vice president, Software Systems Group, Sun Microsystems. ``We applaud CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES' leadership and innovation as one of the first companies to deploy an open standards based solution supporting the Java platform. This initiative is a welcomed step, one we believe will benefit the iTV market.''
In support of CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES' innovative interactive television solutions, Sun is joining other CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES' investors including SONY, Thomson multimedia/RCA and Sogecable.
``We are pleased to make an investment in CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES to support the roll-out of advanced iTV services based on the Java platform,'' said Brian Sutphin, vice president of Strategic Investments at Sun Microsystems. ``We believe that the combination of Sun's Java technologies and server platforms with CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES' MEDIAGUARD(TM) and MEDIAHIGHWAY products will provide operators and broadcasters with a compelling, end-to-end offering for the consumers of interactive television services.''
``We believe our relationship with Sun demonstrates our commitment to open standards based on Java technology, which is a significant event for us, our television network partners and ultimately the millions of subscribers,'' said Francois Carayol, Chairman and CEO of CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES. ``By promoting open standards, we believe we can speed the acceptance of interactive TV, which will lead to greater value and benefits for viewers worldwide.''
``We believe CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES' early adoption and aggressive commercial deployments of open systems for interactive television has been a critical element in its initial international success,'' Carayol added. ``We intend to continue to promote open systems in international digital television standards activities such as DVB-MHP in Europe and CableLab's OpenCable initiative in the U.S.''
MEDIAHIGHWAY, combined with the Java platform, provides a flexible design allowing it to function independently of the operating system and hardware platform giving set-top box manufacturers the ability to differentiate their products by delivering personalized interactive television services.
About CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES
A subsidiary of CANAL+, the TV & Film division of Vivendi Universal, CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES is an international provider of digital and interactive TV software solutions. Over 20 digital operators and broadcasters have deployed the interactive TV middleware MEDIAHIGHWAY and conditional access system MEDIAGUARD, including CANALSATELLITE in France, ONdigital in the UK and AT&T Broadband in the U.S., and Astro Measat and ZeeTV in Asia Its software runs on more than 8.6 million digital set-top boxes in digital cable, satellite and terrestrial environments.
For more information, visit www.canalplus-technologies.com.
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, ``The Network Is The Computer(TM)'' -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW - news), to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the Internet and allow companies worldwide to dot-com their businesses. With $17.6 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at sun.com.
Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, PersonalJava, Solaris and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
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Contact:
CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES, Paris
Marie-Vincente Pasdeloup, +33 (0)1 71 71 56 32
mvpasdel@canal-plus.fr
- or -
Sun Microsystems, Palo Alto
Ingrid Kambe, 408/786-4705
Ingrid.Kambe@sun.com
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