Television Reinvented With the Launch of ITV Local
October 17 2005 - 4:20PM
PR Newswire (US)
New Operating System Developed by Narrowstep Inc Brings TV to the
Community LONDON and NEW YORK, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A
major new development in television technology was unveiled today
by the UK's largest commercial broadcaster, ITV. Using the
Television Operating System (TelVOS(TM)) developed by Narrowstep
Inc (OTC:NRWS) (BULLETIN BOARD: NRWS) , the new service, called ITV
Local, is currently on the air as a trial with two initial local
community channels for Brighton and Hastings. The new service
features local news, weather, music and what's on guides, as well
as locally produced short films, features and entertainment and is
available globally at http://itvlocal.tv/ "The rapid advance in the
number of broadband homes in the UK, combined with improvements in
streaming technology and Narrowstep's Television Operating System,
has transformed the opportunities for local broadcasting," said
Lindsay Charlton, the ITV project director. "By combining our
traditional broadcasting expertise with the opportunities of the
web, we are creating something truly unique." "ITV has been proud
of its regional services for 50 years, but until now we haven't had
the delivery systems to provide a truly local service. I am
delighted Brighton and Hastings have been chosen to pilot this
service and I am looking forward to getting detailed feedback from
local residents." Jeff Henry, director of ITV Consumer, said he is
committed to using the latest technology to allow viewers to access
ITV content and commercial services in the widest possible way.
"ITV Local will use the ITV brand to entertain and inform, build
communities and encourage participation at a local level," Henry
said. "If this is successful we believe there is a great
opportunity for a commercial broadcaster like ITV to move into new
markets such as local classified advertising. We are very excited
about the outcome of this trial and I look forward to results in
the New Year." There are seven different channels on each service
and the ability to view content live, on demand, in a 24 x 7
schedule and via a searchable archive. Uniquely, the service will
only be available on broadband at data rates ranging from 56Kbps to
800Kbps. The service is free-to-air and can be viewed by anyone.
The new network will be advertising driven, with the opportunity
for viewers to upload their own classified adverts for cars,
property and other goods. "This is a seminal day in the development
of broadband tv," comments Narrowstep CEO, Iolo Jones. "The era of
narrowcasting has arrived." The service will soon enable viewers to
contribute and upload their own content through a special encoder
developed by Narrowstep for ITV Local. Viewers will also be able to
add their own classified advertising for cars, homes, lonely hearts
and anything else they wish to sell locally or nationally. TelVOS
is already used by Telewest (UK Cable) for their blueyonder tv
service, with five 24 x 7 scheduled channels on broadband, as well
as over fifty other channels, including High TV and Cycling TV.
About Narrowstep(TM) Inc Narrowstep(TM) Inc (OTC BB: NRWS) is a
leading provider of internet-based video content delivery.
Narrowstep's product and service offerings enable customers to
distribute channels of video-based content and provide related
services over the internet. The Narrowstep system, TV Station in a
Box(TM), enables comprehensive delivery of video content and
television-like programming to mobile, wireless, internet,
broadband and broadcast services. The Narrowstep system enables
owners and users of video content to reach audiences by
"narrowcasting" -- targeting delivery of specific content to
interested groups. Narrowstep provides services to clients in the
United Kingdom, the United States, and various other countries
throughout the world, including Germany, Sweden and the
Netherlands. To learn more, visit http://www.narrowstep.com/.
Forward-Looking Statement Certain statements in this news release
constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking statements involve known or unknown risks,
including those detailed in the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, uncertainties and other factors
which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from
any future results, performance or achievements expressed or
implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned
not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements,
which speak only as of the date hereof. Contact: Narrowstep Inc
Jesse Deal (investors) Andria Allan, Director of PR Allen &
Caron +44 7810 283098 212 691 8087 DATASOURCE: Narrowstep Inc
CONTACT: Andria Allan, Director of PR of Narrowstep Inc,
+44-7810-283098, ; or Investors, Jesse Deal of Allen & Caron,
+1-212-691-8087, , for Narrowstep Inc Web site: http://itvlocal.tv/
http://www.narrowstep.com/
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