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Technology Stocks : IATV-ACTV Digital Convergence Software-HyperTV -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SCOTT HEIMAN who wrote (2374)	4/20/1999 9:02:00 PM
From: Jim Mulis	Respond to of 13157

To all, TV Guide goes interactive. forbes.com

To: SCOTT HEIMAN who wrote (2374)	4/20/1999 9:17:00 PM
From: Jim Mulis	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13157

Here's more about TV Guide, John, and Rupert: The pizza connection Today TV Guide is seen by an estimated 100 million people every month: 11.8 million magazine subscribers and approximately 35 million readers, 50 million cable subscribers, 1.5 million IPG subscribers, and the rest on its Internet web site. Despite its advantages and its unparalleled brand recognition, TV Guide realizes that making itself the dominant IPG on the market won't be a walkover. Besides Gemstar, the cable operators also see the enormous profit potential in controlling the IPG space. Although it already has the relationships with the MSOs (multisystem operators), the challenge is getting them to see the benefits in signing up for TV Guide's services rather than doing it on their own. Currently the analog version of the TV Guide channel is already being shown by more than 2,200 cable providers around the country but the trick is to get the MSOs to take the IPG version as well. So far AT&T is the only major cable operator on board but TV Guide believes it can win by using what company president Peter Boylan calls the "cheese pizza" strategy. "We see ourselves as a basic cheese pizza," he says. "In addition to our programming experience and archives, which are the largest in the industry, the cable providers can choose other services such as our WGN channel, the Sneak Prevue channel, our ODS horse-racing channel [where legal] and Source Media's (nasdaq: SRCM) local content for things like restaurant listings or news, weather and sports. That's our version of pepperoni, sausage and onions." "News Corp. doesn't need to have a web site, we already have a portal and it's called TV Guide." "It's a make versus a buy decision," says Stephen's Corcoran. "The cable providers know that it will take them a few years to offer the level of services and technology that TV Guide can offer right now. They are proposing a 50-50 split with the MSOs, all its services and who knows? With all the connections they have with Liberty, News Corp. and AT&T, it's conceivable TV Guide may even be able to offer bundled packages with local and long distance, wireless, and high-speed cable from At Home (nasdaq: ATHM), which is AT&T's fat pipe into the home. And it' all on one bill. The MSOs are the kings of bundling so they'll be sure to appreciate that. And best of all, as the OpenCable digital set-top boxes come to market, people will be able to get online with a PC." As Peter Chernin, president of News Corp. and member of TV Guide's board, said: "News Corp. doesn't need to have a web site, we already have a portal and it's called TV Guide." Still, TV Guide is covering all the bases. Although a digital set-top box, such as General Instrument's DCT-5000 gives a viewer using TV Guide Interactive the ability to jump back and forth between TV and the Internet, these boxes cost more. As set-tops are rarely available at retail, the choice of the box is up to the MSO. The DCT-5000, for example, will cost around $400 and some MSOs may feel that this may make the price of their services less competitive. Therefore, TV Guide has designed its system to work with less expensive boxes as well, such as GI's DCT-2000. This means that while subscribers may not have access to a full range of services, such as Internet access and streaming video preview clips on the IPG, they will still get basic interactivity and other features like E-mail. The price for both the set-top boxes and the monthly fees are expected to come down as alternate revenue streams like e-commerce take off. Some analysts predict that the moneymaking potential is so high that at some point the boxes may even be given away. It is clear that the battle for advertising and e-commerce dollars will continue to grow. As convergence continues to take place and the link between the television and the Internet becomes more common, new players like Microsoft's (nasdaq: MSFT) WebTV and America Online's (nasdaq: AOL) AOL TV are expected to get in on the action. But TV Guide has never been number two before and, with Malone and Murdoch behind it, it seems unlikely that it will be number two now. top

To: SCOTT HEIMAN who wrote (2374)	4/20/1999 9:34:00 PM
From: Champolion	Respond to of 13157

This is exactly my point... Don't "pump" ACTV thinking that it will make things happen faster. It won't. Yes, you will get volatility and volume. Yes, you will get most of the on-line trading community. Yes, you will feel like you know it all. But, you will attract shareholders who do not care about the business. But, you will get a lot of people who will try to "pump" the stock even more. But, you will give birth to the frustration of reasonable investors, and speculators, who would like to believe in ACTV. Share your passion for ACTV's technology, but stick to the facts. Be accurate in your communications, and encourage different position statements. ACTV does not need to be hyped to gain followers. __________ Champolion