SeaChange Demonstrates Jinni-Powered Advanced VOD Discovery and Navigation

Partnership with ‘Taste Engine’ Jinni Delivers Unprecedented Genome-based Search and Ease of Navigation to TV

ACTON, Mass. — IBC 2009 — SeaChange International (NASDAQ: SEAC), the video-on-demand, IPTV and advertising systems leader, today announced a powerful new VOD search and navigation tool for cable and telco TV operators that is powered by Jinni to be optimized for television set top boxes and also accessible via the Internet and web-enabled mobile devices. Providing a highly personalized experience that until now has not been available on existing set top boxes, Jinni is a viewer taste-based recommendation engine that leverages innovative semantic technology to help people choose what to watch, in a solution that is uniquely responsive to personal entertainment tastes. Available for deployment in early 2010, SeaChange will introduce the Jinni interface running on its TV Navigator middleware platform as part of its three-screen video delivery demonstration during IBC 2009 in Amsterdam, Sept. 11-15 in Stand 1.E30.

“VOD libraries are growing at a breakneck pace and the sheer volume of titles is making it increasingly challenging for subscribers to find the content they want, much less doing so quickly and efficiently,” said Simone Sassoli, vice president and general manager, global telecoms and middleware, SeaChange. “Bringing the power of Jinni’s search and recommendation capabilities to the set top box with an incredibly rich and easy-to-use interface is a significant development for VOD and one that can immediately impact usage rates.”

The combination of SeaChange’s middleware and VOD platforms with Jinni’s extensive database of movie and television titles and semantic content tags lets subscribers search for titles based on parameters such as a film’s or program’s experience (mood and tone) and story (plot elements, structures and style). The solution liberates viewers from the constraints of traditional VOD search applications, enabling a more intuitive and mood-based discovery process to generate personally relevant results and recommendations.

“Choosing what to watch should be easy and fun!” said Mike Pohl, CEO, Jinni. “Creating this user experience solves a key industry pain point in exposing large VOD catalogs. We’re delighted to have the opportunity to partner with SeaChange to offer a solution.”

Subscribers will also be able to search their operators’ VOD libraries using web-enabled PCs and mobile devices: the titles they select for viewing will automatically populate a “favorites” folder that is accessible on their set top box-based program guide. The system will allow users to enjoy unprecedented control over their VOD experience, while helping operators increase consumption and reduce churn.