ANT Showcases Managed Service for Delivery of Multimedia TV Content at IBC

11 September 2009, Cambridge

ANT, a leading provider of embedded software solutions and services to the digital media industry, will today showcase its new Managed Service concept at IBC. The move follows the recent announcement of ANT Galio HbbTV Platform, the go-to-market solution providing full support for HbbTV services. The Managed Service concept brings a range of new web-based multimedia content to IPTV and Hybrid solutions such as HbbTV. Visitors to the IBC show will be able to see the first implementation of this at the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) village, stand number 10.D21.

Activated from a single button press on the remote control or via an on-screen menu, the Managed Service can be presented as a portal, integrated service guide or widget and gives consumers access to a selection of innovative services in addition to standard TV programming. News, information and entertainment services are accessed through the Managed Service which aggregates content from a variety of providers and presents it in an easy to use format to the consumer. The first demonstration includes applications such as VoD (Video on Demand), internet radio stations with access to playlists and programme information, and daily news sites that feature video clips of the latest news stories. All these services are available on-demand.

Richard Baker, EVP of Sales and Marketing at ANT, said: “An increasing amount of multimedia content is being targeted at the TV. However, in the past it has often been presented in a disorganised and non-TV centric manner. Given that consumers have access to a vast array of content via a number of different devices, it’s vital that the digital TV market steps up to meet this new challenge. We’ve done this with the showcase of the Managed Service, giving consumers access to a world of content through one screen and one remote control. We’re excited to be working with device manufacturers, ANT Academy partners and service providers to introduce consumer services that haven’t been available via the TV before.”

Visitors to the EBU stand at IBC will see an implementation of the Managed Service via a portal running a selection of HbbTV services based on the ANT Galio HbbTV Platform. HbbTV is led by a cross industry consortium consisting of broadcasters, satellite operators, software providers and hardware manufacturers. ANT is a founder member of the HbbTV initiative which combines the richness of broadcast and broadband while providing an alternative to proprietary technologies. HbbtTV gives broadcasters an open platform to deliver value added on-demand services.

HbbTV was officially launched at the IFA show in Berlin last week and is based on elements of existing standards and web technologies including OIPF (Open IPTV Forum), CEA, DVB and W3C. Further information can be found on the HbbTV website, www.hbbtv.org.

About ANT Software Limited
ANT plc (www.antplc.com) is the leading provider of client software solutions and services to the digital media industry. It develops open-standards-based client software and applications to enable operators to exploit digital media across a broad range of consumer devices from TV’s set-top boxes and DVD players, to portable media devices such as mobile phones and personal media players, regardless of content delivery platform.

ANT enables media driven organisations to quickly create and roll-out innovative and successful applications and TV services on any consumer device, enabling operators to attract new subscribers, reduce churn and increase average revenue per user.

ANT’s software has been extensively deployed by customers throughout the world including Cisco, Chunghwa Telecom, Foxconn, France Telecom, Humax, LG/Nortel, Philips, Sagem, Samsung, SaskTel, Telecom Italia and Thomson.

ANT plc's shares are listed on AIM, a London Stock Exchange regulated market, under the ticker ANTP (Reuters: ANTP.L, Bloomberg: ANTP.LN).

Press Contacts
Geraldine Grewal/Ruth Jones/ Katie Swan
Speed
Tel: +44 (0)20 7842 3200
Email: ant@speedcommunications.com