Time Warner Cable Brings Web Video to Television in Hawaii

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

ActiveVideo Deployment Includes Games, Shopping, Other Content; Channels Deliver Web Content with Television Quality on Existing Set-Top Boxes

NEW YORK, NY and SAN JOSE, CA — Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and ActiveVideo Networks™ today announced the deployment of an entirely new television experience that will bring a wealth of Web content and interactivity directly to the TVs of cable subscribers in Hawaii.

The new service, which is being launched in Oceanic Time Warner Cable, intelligently streams traditional and Web-based content to any digital set-top box. ActiveVideo™ combines the personalized, dynamic, socially-connected experience that viewers have come to expect from the Web with the quality, immediacy and remote-control navigation that is expected of television.

Initial channels include interactive games from TAG Networks; home shopping from HSN; and news, sports and children’s versions of P:Mosaic™, an intuitive, fully personalized video navigation system that allows consumers to view, customize and navigate through their favorite channels at a single glance. In addition, the ActiveVideo™ service enables Oceanic Time Warner Cable to create Web-based channels that are specific to the Hawaii market.

The launch follows a successful, system-wide trial of ActiveVideo during the 2008 Summer Olympics, during which Oceanic subscribers could enjoy single-screen mosaic coverage of multiple channels of broadcast and cable Olympics programming, as well as Olympics news, photo albums, schedules and other content acquired from Web RSS feeds.

“One of cable television’s greatest strengths is its ability to serve customers with content that is important to them locally, and even personally,” said Nate Smith, president of Oceanic Time Warner Cable. “Our launch of ActiveVideo expands our ability to deliver to our customers diversity, personalization, and targeting, through a wide range of video choices .

“With studies continuing to show that the television remains the device of choice for viewing video content, we’re seeing dramatically increased interest in ActiveVideo solutions that bring the Web experience to television through existing STBs and CE devices.” said Jeff Miller, president and CEO of ActiveVideo Networks. “We’re pleased to be working with Time Warner Cable to prove the ability of intelligent streaming to enhance the existing interactive options for the cable and broadcast industries.”

The deployment of ActiveVideo allows Oceanic Time Warner Cable subscribers unprecedented access to and control over television content, including the ability to:

  • Play Tetris®, Sudoku, and a wide variety of other popular games from TAG Networks, along with specially created kids games featuring Barney™ and Thomas & Friends™;
  • Use Web-based search and navigation to locate merchandise of interest from HSN’s vast online inventory, and to make purchases using their remote controls; and
  • Simultaneously monitor and choose among multiple News, Sports or Children’s channels.

ActiveVideo immerses viewers in an engaging experience that combines Web video, Web 2.0 functionality and traditional television. With ActiveVideo, viewers can navigate a completely interactive environment of both linear and broadband programming including rich interfaces and graphics optimized for TV and remote control navigation; social networking; personal media; niche content; and targeted, actionable advertising. ActiveVideo uses intelligent MPEG streaming to deliver the Web 2.0 experience to any digital cable set-top box or broadband-connected CE device.