NDS and Axel Springer Cooperate to Promote Personal TV in Germany

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
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  • NDS and Axel Springer Digital TV Guide (ASDTVG) to jointly support the German TV industry in delivering personalised and rich TV viewing experiences to consumers
  • At ANGA Cable, NDS and Axel Springer Digital TV Guide to demonstrate world-class TV solutions featuring NDS digital video recorder (DVR) and addressable TV advertising technologies, advanced electronic programme guides (EPG) and accurate measurement tools as well as Axel Springer’s personalisation capabilities and enriched, high quality EPG metadata
  • NDS and Axel Springer Digital TV Guide explain why consumers love their DVRs, how the DVR leads to higher TV consumption, and why viewers with DVRs can see more relevant TV advertising, all enabling new business opportunities for operators, broadcasters and advertisers

COLOGNE, Germany — NDS Group, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, and Axel Springer Digital TV Guide (XETRA: SPR.DE), one of Europe’s leading providers of consumer entertainment technologies and EPG metadata, today announced their cooperation to promote personal TV – representing today’s rich TV viewing experience enabled by state-of-the-art digital video recorders (DVR) and electronic programme guides (EPG) – to Germany’s broadcasting, pay-TV and cable providers. In addition, the pair will share how today’s advanced TV technologies create new business opportunities for operators, ad-supported TV channels and advertisers. These powerful innovations include addressable and interactive advertising, supported by accurate measurement of viewer interaction with TV content, advertising and the DVR.

The NDS DVR Report, an international survey of over 1,000 DVR owners, conducted on behalf of NDS in Summer 2008, revealed that consumers love their DVRs, Asked to rank the relative importance of a variety of household appliances, DVR owners ranked the DVR as the third most indispensable item after the washing machine and the microwave oven. DVR owners with partners said that having a DVR makes for a happier home life. And 89% of surveyed Americans, 81% of British, 80% of Australians and 78% of Italians all reported that the DVR has improved how much they enjoy watching television.

In light of the importance of the DVR’s role in the lives of consumers of all ages, NDS and Axel Springer have taken the initiative to promote the DVR to Germany’s broadcasting and cable industries. The growth of the entertainment and TV markets and the opportunities provided by new technologies for addressable advertising are leading both companies to share the DVR message with Germany’s TV entertainment providers.

At ANGA Cable in Cologne, the companies will be showcasing NDS DVR functionality, advanced EPGs, high quality measurement tools and related services, and additionally, EPG metadata from NDS and Axel Springer Digital TV Guide. Operators can learn more about how DVR capabilities have been proven to increase TV consumption and to extend viewership and effectiveness of TV advertising.

At ANGA Cable NDS and Axel Springer Digital TV Guide will demonstrate and explain how operators and advertising-funded TV channels can benefit from advanced DVR-functionality and personalisation technologies powered by rich EPG data as well as solid measurement tools. By deploying these solutions, operators and broadcasters can extend their reach and relevance to consumers – and they can enhance their business and advertising revenues.

Yves Padrines, Vice President, Business Development at NDS and General Manager NDS GmbH, said: “The advanced TV technologies of today, particularly the DVR and EPG, have really revolutionised how people think about television. The freedom to choose from a wide range of content, and equally the choice as to how, when and where that content is viewed, fundamentally changes the entire paradigm of watching TV.” He continued: “We are pleased to work with Axel Springer Digital TV Guide to help bring a world-class viewing experience to more people across Germany.”

Ned Wiley, Managing Director of Axel Springer Digital TV Guide, commented: “We are delighted to cooperate with NDS in this exciting new area which greatly facilitates and improves the viewer experience in the rapidly expanding video entertainment universe. We look forward to working with NDS and mutual network operator partners to deliver that enhanced experience to viewers, as well as with the advertisers that want to reach them.”