Big News for IATV!!
Viewer's Choice, ACTV & Liberty Digital Join Forces to Revolutionize
Pay-Per-View Programming
Business & Entertainment Editors
NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 1999--
Groundbreaking Alliance to Bring
Powerful Interactivity to Marquee Pay-Per-View Television Events
Viewer's Choice L.L.C., America's leading pay-per-view television
network which will become iN DEMAND on January 1, 2000, ACTV, Inc.
(NASDAQ: IATV), a leader in interactive digital television and pioneer
of TV-Internet convergence programming, and Liberty Digital, Inc.
(NASDAQ: LDIG), a diversified new media company with investments in
Internet content and infrastructure and interactive television, today
announced they are joining forces to create a powerful new cable and
satellite television pay-per-view programming venture.
The three companies have agreed to a long-term alliance to
license and produce marquee pay-per-view sports programming and other
events of national significance, and to distribute them nationwide
utilizing ACTV's patented "Individualized Television" software and
Viewer's Choice programming and marketing capabilities. Viewer's
Choice will be the exclusive distributor of these events.
Using a standard digital set-top box and remote control, ACTV
enables viewers to customize their viewing experience by seamlessly
switching among multiple, real-time feeds of video, audio and data
originating from the event venue. Sports viewers, for example, will be
able to access isolated camera angles, in-depth statistics, instant
replay on-demand, and "always on" video highlights, among many other
options, all at the touch of a button on their remote control. In
addition to sporting events, "Individualized Television" can enhance a
variety of television genres, including music programming, news, game
shows, educational children's programming, advertising, and others.
Mindy S. Herman, President and CEO of Viewer's Choice, said:
"Viewer's Choice is proud to partner with ACTV and Liberty Digital to
deliver this new way of watching major pay-per-view events to our
affiliates' subscribers. We believe there will be strong demand to
watch these events in a pay-per-view environment, and we are confident
customer acceptance of this new way of customizing their television
programming will grow rapidly. It will turbo-charge the ordinary
remote control and give our customers a fun, intuitive and empowering
new viewership tool. Once you've seen a Championship boxing match, the
Olympics, a big NBA showdown, a major college basketball or football
rivalry, or a headliner concert this way on Viewer's Choice, you'll
never go back to old-fashioned, passive viewership."
"This is a further illustration of Liberty Digital's growing
strategic relationship with ACTV, and we are very pleased to be joined
by Viewer's Choice in launching this innovative business. We think it
will take pay-per-view to a new level of customer interest and
commercial success. Matching ACTV's exciting technology to the huge
customer base and promotional expertise of Viewer's Choice is a potent
combination that will be a nice fit with our portfolio of interactive
investments," said Lee Masters, President and CEO of Liberty Digital.
"The ACTV functionality will give millions of pay-per-view
purchasers a fun, exciting and personalized way to experience major
events with more relevant content and more complete context. It gives
each viewer the power to produce and customize the event, just as if
that viewer were sitting in the director's chair in the production
control room," said David Reese, President of ACTV, Inc.
The new alliance is founded on a long-term agreement between the
parties, who plan to produce and distribute a minimum of four marquee
events each year, beginning early next year depending on the licensing
of suitable initial events. The scheduled events will be available for
viewers to purchase and watch, as long as they have digital cable or
satellite receivers that support ACTV's "Individualized Television"
technology. ACTV's "Individualized Television" programming
capabilities are already accessible in digital set-top terminals
manufactured by General Instrument Corporation (NYSE: GIC), and are
currently being integrated into digital set-tops manufactured by
Scientific-Atlanta (NYSE: SFA) and Pioneer Digital Technologies.
About Viewer's Choice L.L.C.
Viewer's Choice, which will become iN DEMAND on January 1, 2000,
is the nation's leading pay-per-view network, offering titles from all
the major Hollywood and independent studios, plus sports and
entertainment events through its 35 channel digital pay-per-view
multiplex service. Viewer's Choice serves over 1,700 affiliated
systems with approximately 27 million addressable households and 112
million channel subscribers nationwide. The company's five
shareholders include AT&T / TCI Communications, Inc., Time Warner
Entertainment - Advance/Newhouse Partnership, Comcast Programming
Ventures, Inc., MediaOne of Delaware, Inc., and Cox Communications
Holdings, Inc. Further information about the company can be found on
the Internet at ppv.com.
About ACTV, Inc.
ACTV, Inc., is a leader in interactive digital television with
its proprietary "Individualized Television" and "Individualized
Advertising" software and programming capabilities. The company has
also pioneered TV-Internet convergence programming with its patented
HyperTV(R) software solution.
ACTV's proprietary "Individualized Television" software remembers
viewer commands and responses to on-screen prompts, enabling an
unlimited number of viewers to, literally, call their own shots and
individually-tailor the TV program they are watching. ACTV's unique
capabilities also make possible the delivery of highly-targeted
addressable advertising, which enables advertisers to more effectively
deliver messages to the appropriate consumers, while making television
advertising more relevant to individual viewers.
ACTV offers superior, practical solutions for TV networks and
programmers, advertisers, cable operators, educators, and consumers
seeking to capitalize on the emergence of digital television and the
broadband delivery infrastructure. The company has relationships with
many of the dominant players in the Internet, television and digital
technology fields, including key strategic investments from Liberty
Digital and General Instrument Corporation. ACTV Entertainment and
HyperTV Networks, Inc., are subsidiaries of ACTV, Inc. Visit ACTV's
Web site at actv.com.
About Liberty Digital, Inc.
Liberty Digital, Inc. is a diversified new media company with
investments in Internet content and infrastructure and interactive
television businesses, as well as music services delivered to
commercial and residential customers via cable, satellite, the
Internet and other platforms. Liberty Digital holds an approximate 12%
equity interest in ACTV, Inc. Exercise of additional warrants would
bring Liberty Digital's stake in ACTV, Inc. to approximately 25%.
Liberty Digital's Series A Common Stock is traded on the National
Market tier of The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol LDIG.
Disclaimer: This news release contains forward-looking statements
as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans,
objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and
underlying assumptions and other statements which are other than
statements of historical facts. These statements are subject to
uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, product and
service demand and acceptance, changes in technology, economic
conditions, the impact of competition and pricing, government
regulation, and other risks defined in this documents and in
statements filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. All such forward-looking statements, whether written or
oral, and whether made by or on behalf of the Company, are expressly
qualified by the cautionary statements and any other cautionary
statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. In
addition, the company disclaims any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after
the date hereof.
--30--tia/ny*
CONTACT: Bratskeir & Company
Mike Rosen (for ACTV, Inc.)
212/679-2233, ext. 213
or
Viewer's Choice
Joe Boyle, 212/486-6600
or
Brainerd Communicators, Inc.
Jeff Majtyka (for Liberty Digital)
212/986-6667
KEYWORD: NEW YORK CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELEVISION/RADIO ENTERTAINMENT
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