ACTV (IATV)
Net Perceptions and ACTV, Inc. To Enhance Interactive Television and AdvertisingServices; Net Perceptions and ACTV Pioneer Use of 1:1 Personalization forTelevision
Thu Jul 20 06:15:00 EDT 2000
ragingbull.altavista.com
MINNEAPOLIS & NEW YORK, Jul 20, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Net Perceptions
(Nasdaq: NETP), a leading supplier of realtime, enterprise-wide personalization
and precision marketing software and services, and ACTV, Inc. (Nasdaq: IATV), a
leading digital media company commercializing proprietary technologies for
interactive digital TV and Enhanced TV, today announced an agreement that will
bring Net Perceptions' 1:1 personalization capabilities to the television
landscape.
ACTV's Digital ADCO, Inc. subsidiary will integrate the Net Perceptions for
E-Commerce and Net Perceptions Intelligence products into its SpotOn(TM) digital
TV addressable advertising service. ACTV also plans to integrate Net
Perceptions' products into its One To One TV(TM) digital TV programming
capabilities.
Initially, ACTV will use Net Perceptions' personalization software to enhance
SpotOn, a new service that offers advertisers the ability to deliver targeted TV
ads to those individuals most likely to be interested in their products. ACTV
will use Net Perceptions' technology in a manner similar to many online and
offline marketers, e.g. "Thanks for purchasing your new compact disc.... Other
people who enjoy that artist, also enjoy ...". For example, when SpotOn delivers
a TV commercial for diapers to a targeted household, the Net Perceptions
technology will enable SpotOn to immediately extend the advertiser's
relationship with the consumer by making complementary offers for related
products and promotions.
"Combining ACTV's and Net Perceptions' capabilities will help fully realize the
investment in the digital TV and broadband infrastructure that the cable and
satellite industries have made during the past few years," said Steve Larsen,
Net Perceptions' senior vice president. "With the addition of our technology,
ACTV's clients will have a service that almost intuitively understands and
delivers programming and advertising that will be most relevant to the consumer.
With the myriad of programs and advertising currently available, this represents
an extremely valuable service to the TV and advertising industries, and
ultimately, to the consumer. We're excited to be aligned with an industry leader
like ACTV to introduce our technology to television."
Said Gary Arlen, president, Arlen Communications, Inc., a Bethesda, Maryland,
research firm, "The Net Perceptions-ACTV agreement fulfills the long-promised
dream of personal television services. The combined expertise gives TV viewers a
truly personalized programming, promotional and commerce experience -- a great
formula for advancing the digital TV industry. The collaboration of these two
companies opens the door for even more interactive services, tailored to
individual viewing and transaction patterns."
"The unique ability of Net Perceptions' technologies to know, act, and report on
an individual's preferences -- working in conjunction with the system
technologies that are at the core of SpotOn -- will be a valuable addition to
ACTV's industry-leading services and to the entire interactive TV sector," said
Kevin Liga, Chief Technology Officer of ACTV, Inc. and iCEO of Digital ADCO. "We
are thrilled to be working with Net Perceptions to be the first company to bring
these capabilities to TV."
SpotOn is the only comprehensive, software-based and TV-centric system that
enables the delivery and accounting of highly targeted and interactive
advertising via digital cable, digital satellite, and digital broadcast
television. SpotOn allows viewers to choose and interact with commercials; it
empowers advertisers to deliver commercials to households most likely to respond
to them (based on demographic or household- specific profiles); and it allows TV
network operators to generate new TV commerce revenues.
SpotOn is expected to be compatible with all of the leading digital interactive
platforms and digital set-top terminals. SpotOn services will be provided to
MSOs, cable and satellite system providers, advertising interconnects, broadcast
and cable television networks and programmers, and leading consumer product
advertisers, advertising agencies, and media buyers.
Net Perceptions for E-commerce interacts with customers much like a company's
best sales representative would. Working one-to-one in real-time, it gets to
know an individual customer's wants, needs and preferences, then makes specific
recommendations to each individual customer based on that knowledge. In
addition, the technology keeps learning more about each customer, and
dynamically pools that knowledge with relevant learnings from other customers to
make ever-smarter recommendations.
Net Perceptions Intelligence is a software program that collects and analyzes a
wide array of retail data to help determine the most effective approach for
promotional advertising. It identifies which featured items increased profits
most; which ads drove traffic to stores; and which advertised items generated
the greatest movement of higher-margin, non-advertised merchandise.
ABOUT ACTV, INC.
ACTV, Inc. (Nasdaq: IATV), with headquarters in New York City, pioneered
Enhanced TV programming with its patented HyperTV(R) software solution. The
company also created interactive one-to-one digital television with its
proprietary One To One TV(TM) software and programming capabilities.
ACTV has relationships with many of the dominant players in the Internet,
television and digital technology fields, including key strategic relationships
with Liberty Digital, Inc. (Nasdaq: LDIG), Motorola's (NYSE: MOT) Broadband
Communications Sector, Liberty Livewire Corporation (Nasdaq: LWIRA), and OpenTV
(Nasdaq and AEX: OPTV). For more information, visit ACTV's Web site at
actv.com or visit hypertv.com.
ABOUT DIGITAL ADCO, INC.
ACTV, Inc. (Nasdaq: IATV) created its Digital ADCO subsidiary in late 1999 with
Motorola's (NYSE: MOT) Broadband Communications Sector to redefine and
revolutionize traditional TV advertising. Digital ADCO's SpotOn service is
founded on an array of system technologies, including ACTV's One to One TV(TM)
software and Motorola's digital interactive platform.
ACTV, OpenTV (Nasdaq and AEX: OPTV) and Motorola Broadband Communications Sector
announced in May 2000 plans to create a new subsidiary, named Digital ADCO
International, for the worldwide deployment of SpotOn. According to the letter
of intent, OpenTV will invest in Digital ADCO, Inc. and assist in porting ACTV's
One to One TV(TM) software application (formerly "Individualized TV") onto
OpenTV's operating system, which has an installed base of more than 7.8 million
digital set-top boxes worldwide.
ABOUT NET PERCEPTIONS
Net Perceptions is a leading provider of personalization and precision software
solutions. Net Perceptions' software is designed to drive the earnings and
revenues of its customers through a better understanding of its customers,
employees and products, enabling businesses to optimize information and product
assortments, prices and inventories and to offer the right product to the right
customer at the right price. Net Perceptions' customers include many of the
world's best-known brands including: Bertelsmann, CDNOW, The Children's Place,
Egghead.com, Procter & Gamble, eToys.com, Fingerhut, Hudson's Bay Company, J.C.
Penney, Tower Records, Walgreens and Williams-Sonoma,. The company has offices
in Minneapolis; San Francisco; New York; Austin, Texas; Richardson, Texas;
Berkshire, U.K.; Hong Kong; Singapore; Frankfurt, Germany and a joint venture
operation in Japan. For more information about Net Perceptions products visit
netperceptions.com or call 800-466-0711.
Net Perceptions is a registered trademark of Net Perceptions. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This news release
contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are
the company's limited operating history, delays in product development,
development of the Internet market, changes in product pricing policies,
competitive pressures, and the risk factors detailed from time to time in the
company's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
CONTACT: Net Perceptions
Jacqueline Hanson, 612/918-1749 or 800/466-0711
jhanson@netperceptions.com
Phil Soucheray, 612/918-0993
psoucheray@netperceptions.com
or
Bratskeir & Company (ACTV Media Relations)
Mike Rosen / Gregory Trieste, 212/679-2233
mrosen@bratskeir.com
gtrieste@bratskeir.com
or
ACTV, Inc.
Bill Roll, 212/217-1600
wroll@actv.com
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