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Technology Stocks : Gemstar Intl (GMST) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: t2 who wrote (285)	8/27/1999 8:30:00 AM
From: NY Stew	Respond to of 6516

GUIDE PLUS+ Survey TV VIEWERS FIND ELECTRONIC PROGRAM GUIDES A SATISFYING EXPERIENCE Survey Says Guide PLUS+ Now Replacing Paper Guides Indianapolis, IN, August 19, 1999 - Interviews with more than 250 recent buyers of RCA and PROSCAN sets with GUIDE Plus+™ elicited a high level of satisfaction with this feature, with half of those surveyed saying they use the guide every time they watch TV. Nine out of ten consumers say they use the guide at least some of the time. “This study reinforces the fact that electronic program guides like GUIDE Plus+ are very popular with owners, extremely easy to use, and tremendously enrich the television viewing experience,” said Mike Shultz, General Manager of Color TV Product Management, Thomson Consumer Electronics. “Most importantly, the GUIDE Plus+ feature is a free service, since there is no monthly fee.” Virtually all (96%) of the users found something they especially liked about the GUIDE Plus+ feature. Three-quarters (77%) cited convenience, with many respondents planning to replace their traditional newspaper and magazine television listings with the electronic service. One-quarter of the sample claimed they had actually changed or stopped using another program guide since they began using GUIDE Plus+. The survey also found that the owners, on an average week, watch more than 23 hours of television programming. The study was conducted for Thomson by Consumer Response of Secaucus, New Jersey. Owners of RCA and PROSCAN television sets with GUIDE Plus+ were interviewed by telephone this past spring. The GUIDE Plus+ system is a multiple-color, three-dimensional grid guide that appears on the viewing screen, offering 60-minute “at a glance” TV listings and detailed program listings that allow the viewer to look ahead up to two days for information on future shows. In this survey, the vast majority (96%) of respondents volunteered that they used the GUIDE Plus+ feature to see what else is currently on, while nine out of ten use the feature to look ahead to see what's on next. When asked when they used the GUIDE Plus+, 81% said “before watching any TV programming”, while three out of every five use it between shows, while commercials were on, or even during the program. Over half the respondents (55%) like the viewing information, with one-third mentioning they like the fact they can see what's currently on and what will be coming on next (32%). During the interviews, owners were asked about their awareness of and usage of six major features of the GUIDE Plus+ system, which are: •The Information Window which gives a description of the program. •The Grid Guide to scroll through the up-to-the-minute TV listings. •The Program Lock that allows the viewer to continue watching the current program while scanning through the program grid. •The Future Listings, that is, looking ahead to what's on in the next 48 hours. •The Sort Guide that allows the viewer to sort programs by theme, i.e., sports, movies, children's programs for up to 7 days. •The Channel Editor, which gives the ability to turn off channels or change channel numbers in the grid guide. At least eight of ten respondents mentioned being aware of the first four features, with the information window (93%) and the grid guide (86%) the most frequently mentioned. Even the least frequently mentioned feature - the channel editor - was mentioned by over half the users interviewed. As for usage, the information window was used frequently (“every time” or “sometimes”) by 85 percent and the grid guide by 75 percent of the respondents. GUIDE Plus+, VCR Plus+ and PlusCode are trademarks of Gemstar.