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Technology Stocks : Compu-DAWN, Inc (CODI) E-TV Co. (ETVC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: AJ Berger who wrote (56)	3/4/1999 10:43:00 AM
From: Zed	Respond to of 78

Set top box market to explode? Should be good for e.TV NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 1999--Jupiter Communications has just released its research report on digital set-top device markets. It pointed out that only 20% of the Web's leading E-commerce players are prepared to capitalize on the opportunities that the explosive growth of set-top boxes, such as Microsoft's WebTV and Asia Media's MyWeb, will provide. International Data Corporation estimates that the market for worldwide set-top boxes will explode over the next few years, with over 5 million units to be shipped in 2000 and 11 million units in 2002. The growth of Internet usage will be strongest in emerging markets, where annual growth rates of 38% are expected through 2001. According to Jupiter Communications, "First-movers, who can secure premium positioning in the set-top environment, will benefit from the ease-of-use of this interactive experience and consumer inertia." While most media coverage has been concentrated on the U.S. market, the real potential -- still virtually untapped -- is outside the U.S. "This year the number of Internet users outside North America is expected to exceed the number of users in North America. That offers a tremendous opportunity for companies offering Internet access in the emerging markets," says Edward J. Tobin, Chairman of New York-based Asia Media Communications ASMCD . Asia Media is traded in Nasdaq's OTC bulletin board under the ticker symbol ASMCD. Asia Media announced last Thursday that it acquired a leading Internet service in the emerging markets -- TecnoChannel Technologies -- the company behind the successful MyWeb service. MyWeb's strongest markets include Hong Kong, Singapore, China as well as Malaysia, where it has practically a 100% market share. "MyWeb expects to become to the Far East what America Online is to the U.S.," explains T.S. Wong, CEO of MyWeb. "Our clients can use their TV's to connect to the Internet via a set-top box and a remote control or wireless keyboard. While in the U.S., computers are the primary way to access the Internet, in emerging markets most people will find set-top boxes more affordable and definitely more user friendly. That's why TV-based web access is much more popular outside the U.S." MyWeb's positioning resembles that of America Online AOL and Prodigy PRGY . "MyWeb has an online service focused on E-commerce and content in every market in which it operates. We are in many ways similar to Netscape NSCP or AOL. Their Web portals receive heavy traffic because users automatically access their site when logging in. So do ours," states Mr. Wong. MyWeb already has a base of 15,000 set top boxes in the market, and it expects over 100,000 more to be sold this year. That would be more than twice the amount that WebTV had in the market when it was purchased by Microsoft in 1997 for $425 million. On Tuesday, ASMCD (MyWeb) had a market cap of only $120 million. What makes the MyWeb business model so powerful, is that it can grow exponentially. MyWeb's growth is fueled by the growth in the number of its partnering Internet Service Providers. At the same time, those ISP's subscriber bases continue to explode. The growing amount of subscribes are then channeled to MyWeb's portal, and its revenues from advertising and E-commerce transactions shoot up. It becomes a reiterative process, where the laws of compounded growth apply. "We acquired MyWeb, because it just made sense. Research shows that the Internet is most frequently used for communication -- e-mail, chat and newsgroups -- and for research and entertainment. PC's are heavily over-equipped to perform these functions. MyWeb can do all this, but it is easier to install, and costs only a fraction of the price of a PC, which is a very important sales argument for the rest of the world," says Mr. Tobin. The statements made by Asia Media Communications Ltd. / MyWeb Inc.com may be forward looking in nature. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in forward looking statements. Asia Media Communications Ltd. / MyWeb Inc.com believes that its primary risk factors include, but are not limited to: the need for substantial financial requirements; the need to develop effective internal processes and systems; the ability to attract and retain high quality employees; changes in the overall economy; changes in technology; the number and size of competitors in its markets; changes in the law and regulatory policy; and the mix of product and services offered in the company's target markets. Merger Communications (Merger) is a media relations firm employed by the Company. The statements and opinions presented here represent the views of the Company, not Merger, as the release is based on the information provided by the Company. Merger and the Company believe that all information in this release has been obtained from sources considered reliable, but can not guarantee that the statements presented herein are accurate or complete. Merger's compensation for its media relations services, including preparation of press releases, consists of a monthly retainer and warrants for the purchase of the Company's stock. Merger may have a long position in the securities of the companies in which it distributes information to the media, and Merger may be buying or selling securities in the course of its regular business.