ICTV Signs Agreement With The Learning Company to Provide Cable Operators With Consumer Software for the Entire Family
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LOS GATOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 1998--ICTV, the company that provided cable operators the first platform for accessing commercial Internet over television and the only company to offer CD-ROM games to cable-connected television sets, today announced a key distribution agreement with The Learning Company Inc. (NYSE:TLC).
Under the pact's terms, ICTV's platform will be used to provide The Learning Company's comprehensive educational reference, personal productivity and family entertainment titles including "Reader Rabbit," "Learn to Speak series," "Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego," "Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia" and "Oregon Trail" to cable television subscribers.
"Our goal is to provide educational software that parents trust and children will both love and learn from," said Kevin O'Leary, president of The Learning Company Inc. "The ICTV platform provides a new form of distribution for our software titles to reach our customers. Educational titles like Reader Rabbit Reading 1 can now be enjoyed by households who do not own or have access to a PC."
"The addition of The Learning Company's award-winning CD-ROM titles such as Arthur's Birthday and Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia is an excellent example of the quality titles offered by ICTV," said Wes Hoffman, president of ICTV. "The Learning Company's decision to provide consumers with the latest in digital content through interactive services with ICTV demonstrates our industry leadership position."
"Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego":
Discover the world in a thrilling crime-stopping chase. "Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego" features over 200 animated talking characters, spectacular video, photos and music. "Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego" guides children through 51 panoramic landscapes such as Seattle's Space Needle, the Continental Divide and Yosemite National Park while giving clues to solve mysteries and capture villains.
"Learn to Speak Series":
"Learn to Speak" series includes a new way to learn Spanish, English, Japanese, German and French. And it's better than ever. The "Learn To Speak series" is a highly interactive, self paced language program that will have you speaking and understanding everyday language of choice words and phrases in no time. Learn to recognize and pronounce the different alphabets, plus essential vocabulary words.
"Reader Rabbit's Reading 1":
"Reader Rabbit's Reading 1" gives readers a multisensory way to practice important phonic skills as they learn to sound out words. The program uses more than 200 three-letter words along with speech sound effects and engaging graphics to develop children's skills in phonics and letter recognition.
ICTV is available on participating cable operators' networks for subscribers with cable-connected TV sets. The only required in-home equipment is a receiver and infrared keyboard. With less delay or "lag" time than non-cable based Internet services, ICTV provides more exciting gameplay delivered at the highest speed available -- over 10 MBPS -- via a cable network, creating an amazing experience for CATV subscribers.
The Learning Company is one of the country's leading developers
of consumer software for the entire family. The company publishes some
of the best-known education, reference, personal productivity and
family entertainment brands in the United States, including "Reader
Rabbit," "The Oregon Trail," "Sesame Street," "Carmen Sandiego,"
"Mavis Beacon," "The Princeton Review," "National Geographic,"
"American Greetings," "The Print Shop" and "Myst." The company's
products are sold in more than 23,000 retail stores in North America
and through multiple distribution channels including school sales,
online, direct marketing and OEM.
The Learning Company also develops, publishes and distributes
products internationally through subsidiaries in France, Germany, the
United Kingdom, Holland, Japan and Australia, and with distributors
throughout Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Rim. The company's
headquarters are located at One Athenaeum Street, Cambridge, Mass.
02142; telephone 617/494-1200; fax 617/494-1219. The corporate Web
site is located at www.learningco.com, and customer service can be
reached at 617/761-3000.
With headquarters in Los Gatos, ICTV provides cable operators the
most cost-effective open platform for the delivery of high-speed data
and other broadband services to cable-connected television sets. For
more information on ICTV, visit the company's Web site at
www.ictv.com.
CONTACT: Bock Communications Inc. Christine Bock or Danielle Sweeney, 714/540-1030, chrisbock@bockpr.com
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