TV Cabo Initiates Trial of Digital Enhanced TV Services to Cable Subscribers Using Microsoft TV Platform Solution

REDMOND, Wash., and LISBON, Portugal, Dec. 7, 2000 — Microsoft Corp. and TV Cabo Portugal SA, a subsidiary of PT Multimedia today announced they have started their trial deployment of enhanced TV services based on an end-to-end Microsoft® TV platform software solution this month, according to the time frame defined for the project. Broad commercial deployment of TV Cabo’s service is expected in the second quarter of 2001. The trial represents the premiere of services based on digital enhanced TV solutions in Portugal.

TV Cabo plans to include in its offering the deployment of advanced set-top boxes running Microsoft TV Advanced client software and various services such as Electronic Program Guide, e-mail, banking, shopping and Internet access. In addition, it intends to deploy Microsoft TV Server to provision and manage the delivery of enhanced TV services to its customers.

Microsoft is working with leading network operators, such as TV Cabo in Portugal, to extend the benefits of enhanced TV services to consumers on a worldwide scale.

“TV Cabo’s service is one of the first to be available worldwide, and we are extremely pleased to be able to provide the company with the most advanced solution for digital enhanced TV services,”
said Jon DeVaan, senior vice president of the TV Service and Platform Division at Microsoft.
“We believe this launch is an important demonstration of the rich capabilities of the Microsoft TV platform and a great example of how Microsoft TV creates new opportunities for network operators, interactive content developers and television viewers alike.”

“TV Cabo is pursuing an aggressive timetable to reach its goal of being one of the first network operators to provide Internet broadband access, t-commerce and now digital enhanced TV services to its clients,”
said Jose Graca Bau, CEO of TV Cabo.

The range of services that TV Cabo subscribers will have access to includes t-commerce, t-banking, digitally enhanced TV channels, digital video recording, portal TV and additional services interconnected with the Microsoft TV platform. TV Cabo’s trial project employs a set-top box made by Octal TV, a Portuguese company.

About TV Cabo

TV Cabo is the leading national cable operator in Portugal, with more than 880,000 subscribers, reaching a total of 2.15 million homes. TV Cabo complements its cable coverage through a multichannel digital satellite platform with more than 106,000 subscribers.

The company provides a large selection of 44 basic channels to cable subscribers and over 30 channels to DTH satellite subscribers, including the premium offerings Telecine 1 and 2, Sport TV and two adult entertainment channels.

In November 1999, TV Cabo launched NetCabo, the first real high-speed Internet access via cable modem. This service provides Internet access to the high end of the market at speeds around 640 Kbps, several orders of magnitude faster than conventional access. TV Cabo is fully owned by PT Multimedia.

About PT Multimedia

PT Multimedia (BVL
“PTMN.IN”
) is a leading integrated media and Internet player. It operates both cable and satellite TV services in Portugal. Through its subsidiary PTM.com, PT Multimedia also manages the leading ISP and portal ( http://www.sapo.pt ) in Portugal and the third largest portal ( http://www.zip.net/ ) in Brazil. PT Multimedia also owns a minority interest in Paginas Amarelas, Portugal’s leading Yellow Pages telephone directory business.

Since its inception, PT Multimedia has positioned itself to be the driving force behind media convergence in Portugal and the leading Internet services provider in the Portuguese-speaking world. Recently, PT Multimedia listed its Internet subsidiary, PTM.com, in the Portuguese Stock Exchange and acquired Lusomundo, one of the largest Portuguese media and entertainment companies.

PT Multimedia, through its subsidiary TV Cabo, has over a 90 percent market share, with more than 880,000 pay-TV subscribers. The ISP has more than 400,000 subscribers, and the portal networks more than 500 million page views and 5 million unique users.

About the Microsoft TV Platform

The Microsoft TV platform is a comprehensive, standards-based, client and server software solution that enables network operators to enhance the TV experience for their viewers and subscribers. The software platform creates significant new economic opportunities for network operators and the suppliers of programming, hardware and software in the TV industry worldwide. Microsoft TV is backed by the technical expertise support and broad third-party developer community that Microsoft is known for. The platform makes it cost-effective for network operators to deploy new enhanced TV services on first-generation digital set-top boxes as well as the new generation of advanced set-top boxes and entertainment appliances now emerging.

The Microsoft TV products include Microsoft TV Basic Digital and Microsoft TV Advanced software for set-top boxes and Microsoft TV Server and Microsoft TV Access Channel Server for providing enhanced TV services through the network operators’ head end. As an extension of the Microsoft TV platform, Microsoft TV Technologies will provide broadcast-rich services and functions within future generations of the Windows® operating system, paving the way for enhanced TV services on personal computers and other computing devices.

Microsoft TV has been designed to support worldwide digital TV broadcast standards, including Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and ARIB. It also supports commonly used Internet standards such as HTML, JavaScript and Dynamic HTML, as well as all interactive content authored according to the Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) specification. More information about Microsoft TV and Microsoft TV Technologies can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/tv/ .

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

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