Media Center: Press Release

Kabel BW Selects MediaHighway® Middleware, XTV™ DVR and VOD Solutions from NDS to Launch New Advanced Entertainment Services


Highlights:
  • German cable operator Kabel BW selects NDS’ MediaHighway® middleware, XTV™ integrated digital video recorder (DVR) technology and an NDS video on demand (VOD) solution for the introduction of new entertainment services
  • Kabel BW plans to launch HD set-top-boxes (STB), HD digital video recorders (DVR) and VOD services based on NDS solutions
  • MediaHighway, XTV and NDS VOD technology complements market-leading NDS VideoGuard® content protection, successfully introduced by Kabel BW in 2007

COLOGNE, GERMANY – May 26, 2009 – ANGA Cable 2009, May 26-28, Cologne NDS stand B18A – NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that leading German cable operator Kabel BW has chosen NDS’ MediaHighway® set-top-box middleware, NDS XTV™ secure, integrated DVR technology and a VOD solution from NDS to extend the capabilities of Kabel BW’s service offering and technology infrastructure. With MediaHighway, Kabel BW will be enabled to efficiently manage its entire STB population and seamlessly introduce new, compelling entertainment services, including HD DVR and VOD, powered by NDS’ secure, integrated XTV DVR technology and an NDS VOD solution.

In 2007 Kabel BW became the first German cable operator to select and deploy market-leading NDS VideoGuard® content protection technology. With today’s new agreement Kabel BW will benefit from the advantages of an end-to-end digital TV solution from NDS. Kabel BW offers innovative triple play services to more than 2.3 million subscribers, serving nearly half of all homes in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Kabel BW STBs are equipped with VideoGuard and will progressively also feature MediaHighway. Relying on NDS’ end-to-end solution, Kabel BW plans to introduce new entertainment services as well as new consumer devices, including HD zapper boxes, HD DVRs, powered by NDS XTV DVR technology and a VOD solution from NDS.

XTV gives viewers the ability to record TV content while viewing another programme. Subscribers will be able to pause, record, play back, rewind and fast forward recorded content. This provides subscribers with maximum flexibility and choice in their viewing options, enabling them to choose what they watch and when they watch it. MediaHighway further enables Kabel BW to swiftly launch other integrated service enhancements identically over all existing and future STBs, all in a single roll-out operation. Additionally, third-party applications can run on MediaHighway’s open software architecture and can be included in Kabel BW’s service offering.

Harald Rösch, CEO of Kabel BW, said: “Kabel BW was the first German operator to select NDS’ VideoGuard content protection system. We now have also selected MediaHighway middleware to benefit from an end-to-end solution with NDS as our central and trusted technology partner.” He continued: “Based on this highly capable infrastructure we look forward to delivering innovative next-generation digital TV services such as extended offerings in high definition resolution, DVR functionality and on-demand content to our subscribers.”

Yves Padrines, Vice President, Business Development at NDS and General Manager NDS GmbH, commented: “We are proud to supply Kabel BW with MediaHighway, XTV and our VOD solution, expanding our existing strong relationship. Enhancing its infrastructure by deploying our middleware, DVR and VOD technologies builds a strong basis for Kabel BW’s future business development.” He added: “This announcement further highlights NDS as the fastest growing provider of digital pay-TV technology in the German market.”

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About Kabel BW:
Kabel BW is Baden-Württemberg’s fast-growing, innovative provider for fast Internet, telephone and TV (Triple Play). Kabel BW currently has over 2.3 million customers and is one of the largest cable operators in Europe, with every second household in Baden-Württemberg using their products. Kabel BW offers attractive packages with an excellent price/performance ratio and the highest Internet bandwidths (up to 32 Mbit/s) as well as telephone flat rates. Thanks to the large-scale modernization of networks, 99% of the 3.5 million cable households in Baden-Württemberg are now able to use the “CleverKabel” products. More than 4 Gbit/s (4000 Mbit/s) are available to each household for Internet, telephone and TV in the modernized cable network. Kabel BW customers currently have both analog and digital reception of up to 400 TV programs (including HDTV) as well as 150 radio channels.

About NDS
NDS Group Ltd. creates the technologies and applications that enable pay-TV operators to securely deliver digital content to TV STBs (set-top boxes), DVRs (digital video recorders), PCs, mobiles and other multimedia devices. Over 70 of the world’s leading pay-TV platforms rely on NDS solutions to protect and enhance their businesses. VideoGuard® is the world’s market-leading conditional access (CA) and digital rights management (DRM) technology, currently deployed on 104 million active devices, and safeguarding pay-TV service revenues exceeding $40 billion. NDS middleware, including MediaHighway® which enables a host of advanced services for subscribers, has been deployed on 115 million devices. NDS DVR technology, centred around XTV™, leads the global industry with 19 million units deployed. (Deployment figures as of 31st March 2009).

Headquartered in the UK, NDS remains committed to investing in R&D with over 75% of its employees dedicated to pioneering work at development centres in China, Denmark, France, India, Israel, Korea, UK and US. NDS has also implemented a host of initiatives aimed at reducing its carbon footprint and helping digital TV subscribers reduce energy consumption.

NDS Group Ltd. is a private company owned by the Permira Funds and News Corporation. See www.nds.com for more information.

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For further information:
NDS
Cynthia Ritchie T: +44 (0)20 8476 8378
Director, Corporate Communications critchie@nds.com
Susbauer PR for NDS T: +49 (0)40 3990 6357
Ansgar Gerber, Managing Partner a.gerber@susbauer.de
Breakaway Communications for NDS T: + 1 212 616 6006
Kelly Fitzgerald, Managing Partner kfitz@breakawaycom.com
Kabel BW T: +49 (0)6221 333 1070
Maurice Böhler maurice.boehler@kabelbw.com