Irdeto Selected By Leading Taiwanese Media Operator To Secure Digital TV Migration For One Million Subscribers

Deal with Taiwan Fixed Network strengthens Irdeto’s position in conditional access technology in APAC region

HONG KONG – CASBAA 2008 — Irdeto, a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers (JSE: NPN), and a leading expert in content and business model protection solutions and services, today signed a deal to deliver its latest DVB-C conditional access (CA) technology to Taiwan-based multi-system operator, Taiwan Fixed Network (TFN) Media, a subsidiary of Taiwan Mobile, the largest private fixed and mobile networks telecommunications service provider.

As one of Taiwan’s largest multi-system operators (MSO) servicing Taipei and the surrounding areas, the deployment is part of TFN Media’s aggressive strategy to grow its market share and to double its subscriber base to one million by the end of 2009. The implementation of Irdeto’s next-generation digital TV solution will enable and support TFN Media’s introduction of pay-per-view, video-on-demand and personal video recorder services to its subscriber base.

TFN Media projects that Irdeto’s digital TV solution will be in full commercial launch by the second quarter of 2009 and provide customers with some new interactive TV offerings including Sports Lottery – where viewers can bet on sporting events through their digital set-top box, IPTV applications and an electronic program guide. As part of the agreement, Irdeto will supply one million smart cards to TFN Media which feature Irdeto’s unique FlexiFlash technology which allows for rapid, secure deployment of new features and functionalities and even security upgrades to be downloaded over the air to smart cards already in the field.

“Since this is our first foray into digital TV, we want a strong and experienced partner with proven technology to lay a solid foundation for TFN Media. After an intensive evaluation of the technologies available, we found the perfect, end-to-end solution in Irdeto’s offerings,” said Dr. James Jeng, President of TFN Media. “We believe this strategic partnership with Irdeto will provide us with a good head start in the digital migration process.” “TFN Media is emerging as one of the dynamic operators keen to embrace Taiwan’s move into the digital era and Irdeto is fully on board to provide our next-generation conditional access solution and support services to help TFN Media reap the potential of interactive TV,” said Graham Kill, CEO Irdeto.

Taiwan is home to about 58 cable service operators with a combined total of nearly 4.8 million households, which represents a penetration rate of 84% according to Taiwan’s National Communications Commission (NCC). The Taiwanese NCC authority has recently announced plans for a digital migration of the cable TV system by 2013. The digitalization of the broadcast industry is expected to bring about various business opportunities worth an estimated US$11.8 billion.