NDS Partners with Changhong to Develop Digital TV Applications for the Chinese Cable Market

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
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  • NDS and Changhong to develop two-way services supporting the Chinese government’s Next Generation Broadcast (NGB) initiative
  • New applications will enhance the viewing experience with interactive services that inform and entertain
  • Operators to benefit from new revenues and advertising opportunities
  • NDS to support the export of applications by Consumer Electronics manufacturers

BEIJING, CHINA — CCBN 2010, Stand 2401, International Hall 2 — NDS Group, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced a partnership with Changhong, a leading set-top box (STB) and CE manufacturer, to develop a range of interactive applications for the Chinese cable market. NDS will also play a key role in marketing the resulting applications to other global geographies as part of a drive to increase export opportunities for Chinese CE and STB manufacturers.

Based on its comprehensive technological and market advantages, Changhong will join the NDS MediaHighway® STB software developer community in China to develop applications for the digital-TV market. The two companies will work together to develop two-way services for Next Generation Broadcast (NGB) platforms, focusing on applications that provide public information and enhance the viewing experience while offering new advertising opportunities such as interactive ads.

NGB is changing the way viewers watch TV in China, by offering subscribers a broad selection of content and adding interactive services. It allows subscribers to customise the service and view content on a variety of different devices, including portable mobile devices. NDS MediaHighway supports NGB initiatives by offering advanced services for SD and HD including EPGs, DVR, VOD and interactive applications across broadcast and hybrid platforms.

“This agreement between NDS and Changhong marks a strategically important partnership between two industry leaders with a reputation for innovation and quality,” said spokesperson, Mr. Jia Huidong, Vice General Manager of Sichuan Changhong Network Technologies Co., Ltd. “According to Media Partners Asia, at the end of 2009, China had an estimated 74 million digital connections. Based on NDS’ experience working with operators involved in the NGB initiative, the applications we are working on will be designed to encourage consumers to use value added services and accelerate the adoption of NGB.”

“NDS supports the government’s initiatives by providing tailor-made solutions for NGB and Three Network Convergence, while forging stronger links with local vendors to jointly develop solutions for the Chinese market,” said Sue Taylor, Senior Vice President and General Manager Asia Pacific. “We have increased our team in China by 73% in the last year, and we plan to triple our investment over the next year. NDS’ growing R&D centre in Shenzhen puts us in a strong position to partner with Chinese CE and STB manufacturers and play a key role in helping them to increase export revenues.”