Company Profile

YooMedia plc is one of the fastest growing interactive entertainment companies in the UK.
Since 1997 we have been developing and launching leading B2C consumer brands in the gaming and community sectors. We also work in a B2B capacity with leading brand owners, agencies, content developers and broadcasters to design and develop their interactive content strategies.

Led by Executive Chairman Dr. Michael Sinclair and Group Managing Director Neil MacDonald, YooMedia has assembled a highly experienced management team that possesses a unique blend of skills and experience in the areas of Digital TV, Internet and mobile phone services and technology.

With main office locations in London, Exeter and Maidstone, YooMedia manages core assets including:

Over 30 office locations throughout the UK alone

State-of-the-art studio, production and post-production facilities at our Wapping location.

UK broadcast return path & bandwidth owner

Fully fledged UK Bookmaker License

Database with over 350K UK singles

SMS Engine access with international reach

Fully staffed 50 seat Customer Contact Centre in Maidstone, Kent

YooMedia Dating & Chat - Our dating subsidiary company manages the oldest and largest UK-owned dating brands including Dateline, Club Sirius and Avenues. YooMedia Dating has over 20 office locations throughout the UK and also manages YooChat, our world-leading interactive chat service found on UK digital cable on the Telewest platform (platform extensions planned for 2005).

YooMedia Gambling & Games - Combining the brands of Avago and Channel 425 (in partnership with William Hill) YooMedia is on the leading-edge of interactive fixed odds, casino and poker gambling services for digital TV, the web and 3G mobile phones. Our gaming business also manages YooPlay, the only interactive just for fun games channel found on all four Digital TV platforms in the United Kingdom.

YooMedia Enhanced Solutions (YES) - YES works with brand owners, agencies, content owners and broadcasters to clarify the options, define the strategies and deliver the interactive content that enhances consumer and audience experiences. YES customers include the BBC, Nestle, Celador, William Hill, Channel 4, ZipTV, The Cartoon Network and HR Owen.

Today Dil is the ice queen the ice toy is being used on the dil to cool of his shorts that are on fire. LOL!!!!!!

Only thing burning here is investors cash.

Gull Hi,

LOL !!!!

PM

Is this the new Tadpole thread?

Yes

NTL buying Telewest for 3.4B, just announced on SKY news.

More customers for YOO!

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/198/ntl-and-telewest-merge

NTL Incorporated (NASDAQ: NTLI) and Telewest Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLWT) announced today a definitive merger agreement under which ntl will acquire Telewest, creating the U.K.s second largest communications company and leading triple play service provider with a cable footprint covering more than 50 per cent of U.K. households. The combined company will have nearly 5 million residential customers.

It will be the largest provider of residential broadband services in the country with 2.5 million subscribers, the second largest pay TV provider with 3.3 million subscribers and also the second largest fixed telephony provider with 4.3 million subscribers.

The combination of the two companies local access networks, which do not overlap, will provide a strong platform allowing for product differentiation and innovation and the delivery of unique packages of service offerings. The combined company will have the benefit of a much larger cable network and, together with Telewests content division, will strengthen cables position in the multi-channel TV marketplace. Additionally, the transaction will create substantial synergies and provide the impetus for increased product and technical innovation.

Consumers will benefit from greater choice, accelerated delivery of a broader range of personalised communications and entertainment services and even better value. On an unaudited pro forma basis for the twelve months ended June 30, 2005, the combined company would have had revenues of 3.4 billion (before adjustments) and operating income before depreciation amortisation and other charges (OCF) of 1.2 billion (before adjustments). The combination will benefit from strong cash flows underpinned by tangible cost and capex synergies, which are expected to make the transaction significantly cash accretive in 2006, before restructuring costs, and significantly cash accretive after all costs from 2007 onwards.

Under the terms of the transaction, approved by the boards of both companies, Telewest shareholders will receive $16.25 in cash and 0.115 shares of ntl stock for each common share of Telewest they own, for a total consideration currently valued at approximately $6 billion or approximately $23.93 per share. On this basis, upon completion Telewest shareholders will own approximately 25 per cent of the enlarged ntl. The transaction is subject to U.K. regulatory approvals, approval by the shareholders of both companies and other customary closing conditions. It is expected to close in the first quarter of 2006.

The Board of the enlarged company will consist of all the current directors of ntl plus two directors from Telewest. James Mooney will be Chairman of the Board of Directors, Anthony (Cob) Stenham will be Deputy Chairman and Simon Duffy will be the President and Chief Executive Officer. Telewests Acting Chief Executive Officer, Barry Elson, will leave the company upon the completion of the transaction and Telewests Chief Operating Officer, Eric Tveter, will leave the company at the end of 2006. Their agreement to stay during the coming months will allow Telewest to continue to benefit from their management and advice
during the completion of the transaction and subsequent integration programme.

Simon Duffy, Chief Executive Officer of ntl, commented: This is a transforming transaction for the U.K. cable industry. It marks not just the culmination of a decade of consolidation but, more importantly, the creation of a new competitive force in the communications and entertainment sectors in the U.K. By sharing best practices across ntl and Telewest and by promoting innovation and leadership, the company will focus on enhancing dual and triple play penetration, improving sales and marketing effectiveness and driving customer centricity and service quality. This is a significant value creation opportunity for shareholders.

Celador - International Deals - Good news for Yoomedia, and the Walkaway format, that Celador are introducing into the broadcast stream worldwide.

17 August 2005
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?: THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON CONTINUES



Celador International today announces a further four licensing deals for global quiz phenomenon, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. Star Plus, Antena 3, TV4 and MBC renew their license of Celador Internationals Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? quiz format for viewers in Spain, India, Sweden and the Middle East.

In India, the new series launched last month on Star Plus, with the return of the Bollywood star host, Amitabh Bachchan and the prize money doubled to twenty million rupees. Star Plus ratings for the slot in which Millionaire was broadcast, grew by 383% as 16 million people tuned in to watch the first episode. Star Plus dominated the slot with the format, commanding almost 60% audience share, more than double the percentage achieved in the previous week. Star Plus commissioned a new series of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? after the quiz format revolutionised primetime TV in India, and made Star Plus the highest-rated Hindi-language satellite channel in India when it was first broadcast in 2000.

After being off-air for almost four years in Spain, Celador International has licensed the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? format to Martingala who will co-produce a brand new series with Celador International, commissioned by Antena 3. Celador International originally licensed the quiz format to Telecinco, who last aired the show in 2001, stripped the format daily and achieved a peak audience share of 36.1%. Antena 3 has commissioned a series of 44 x 45-minute episodes, which will go on-air this month.

Celador International has also licensed a new series of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? to TV4 in Sweden, who originally aired the format in 2003 achieving a massive peak audience share of 66.3%. The new series consisting of 80 x 60-minute episodes will be combined with the Swedish Postcode lottery, and will broadcast weekly on Friday and Saturday nights from September 2005.

MBC in the Middle East, has also licensed a brand new series of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. The quiz format returns to the television screens of the Middle East after an absence of two years since the original series broadcast in 2003. The new series of 30 52-minute episodes will launch in November 2005.

Adrian Woolfe, Managing Director, Celador International says, The new launch and return of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? to millions of viewers, reinforces the strength of the format and its ability to deliver for broadcasters, advertisers and of course, viewers.

Regards

mactavish

I have not noticed them using the walkaway option in the latest series of who wants to be a millionaire. If I am correct then I take it they cannot be impressed with the walkaway concept & will thus not be likely to roll it out when they expand.

Poes. Walkaway is not used for charity shows as the last 2 shows were for charity.

mactavish

thanks for clearing that up.

Courtsey of Gingermagician.



Thanks for the following guys who came along to the meeting:

Axe79 + 1
Jerry
PaulSmith
HankB
Thedawn
Malkie
Zabbadan
Ajit

Thanks to Neil McDonald and Eddie Abrams. A special thanks to Michael Sinclair for rushing back from his Jewish holiday just to speak to us.

The Directors took advice before meeting with us. They advised us that they were of the view that all shareholders should be treated equally - and that is why we were invited to see the same presentation as the analysts the week before. The meeting started with Michael Sinclair asking us permission to tape the meeting to satisfy AIM authorities. The Company went to great lengths to record the entire meeting so they have a record should they get any problems from the regulators. Before any of us spoke/asked a question we had to state our name.

MS told us that there would be a presentation followed by an opportunity to ask questions at the end. The presentation was EXACTLTY the same as was given to analysts last week and was, despite what some folk say here, was positively received by them. The company have been approached by another broker house, which was particularly impressed, and which will hopefully start coverage shortly.

The aim of the presentation was pretty clear. This was to clearly define to us, the shareholders, exactly what the company does. I think since it was put to MS at the last meeting, the company has gone out of its way to make this evident.

The presentation lasted about an hour. It is therefore difficult to remember everything and despite what Paul says, I do not have a photographic memory.

YooMedia is probably the fastest growing interactive entertainment company in the UK. The company is nearly profitable at the moment, even without significant WH and Broadband TV contributions. The aim is to become cashflow positive over the next couple of months and MS said he was relaxed and happy with the way matters are progressing. I personally have relayed the fact previously that the WH deal is YOOs biggest to date. William Hill themselves approached Yoomedia to provide its interactive expertise. William Hill have taken advantage of the red button technology - a fantastic asset to have, for the reason that William Hill are able to hide their transactions from the competitive eye of BSKYB who obviously has a vested interest in betting via its betting channels. The William Hill betting shop revenue will come in from January 2006. This was reason for the Trading Statement in June and so therefore will make a big difference to the games and gambling side of the business. We were told that William Hill are very keen for the relationship to succeed and are extremely happy with Yoomedias capability. We were reminded that Yoomedia OWN and RUN channel 425 for William Hill.

Jerry had to leave early and asked, rather cheekily, whether MS wanted some more money from him! From MS, we felt pretty comfortable that the company will not prostitute itself to a placing at these levels solely for working capital requirements. A rights issue or placing has NEVER been discussed and the company are happy with the current financial position. The Boards interests are firmly aligned with those of shareholders and any dilution at these levels would hit all shareholders (including the board) hard in the pockets. They seem confident that they will make it through to cash flow +tve without the need to dilute any holders. Likewise I am also comfortable that they remain focused on the priorities they are already working on and will not get distracted in an arena which is awash with new cash gobbling ideas & opportunities. The benefit for shareholders of being taken over by a bigger & better funded parent was also raised. Great answer from MS - everything can be for sale, but depends on the price. Paul also tried his luck by putting his 3 figure into the arena and MSs response was that he might be tempted!

The cost-cutting and integration seems to have gone very well, but this will not reflect in the company finances for another six months or so. Neil McDonald, who did a fantastic job at Dixons (PCWorld was his brainchild) has managed to save more than actually was initially planned. Neil seems very focused on cost cutting and profitability and is prepared to cut what doesn't work. Confirmation that Yoomedia are indeed the biggest UK independent Interactive powerhouse, second only to BSKYB. Neil stated that future aims are to secure longer contracts with reputable clients to drive the bottomline. I was very encouraged by this.

The dating business is doing well. Confirmation also that as the most established dating service in the UK, it has the largest data base of active singles. The biggest brands Dateline (fun end of the market, 15 per month) and Avenues (900 per person) compliment each other well. These should continue to generate the company money as the contract with 3G and mobile video dating takes off. There has been great initial take up of this. This should increase further as the take up of 3G phones increases. 3 are doing nearly all the marketing. The appointment of Josie Adams as Chief Executive of YooMedia, Dating, was a big result for Yoomedia. There is no-one bigger in the field. She knows how media and interactive businesses work and she was the mastermind behind the success of dating and personals business of Yahoo! Europe.

YooMedia Enhanced Solutions (YES) and Yoomedia Public Sector have so far been a great success. YES customers (BBC, Nestle, Celador, William Hill, Channel 4, etc.) are very impressed and the client list is growing. The NHS Direct contract is the first and biggest contract of its kind in the world. The company works closely with Government departments especially the Department of Health. Two top executives run these businesses and hopefully this part of the business will continue to grow.

The tie-up/relationship with ICTV is an extremely important one. ICTV have invested more than $100 million dollars in the Broadband TV/interactivity technology. Yes, $100 million! Very pleased with the Broadband TV presentation, and the partnership that exists with ICTV, this will be a success due to the fact that NTL can integrate the service with immediate effect after the trial if successful - I believe it will be, especially with the partners involved. The question of the Telewest merger was raised and this can only benefit Yoomedia as the Broadband TV potential takeup increases. The trial with NTL will last a minimum of 30 days and then hopefully a deal will be struck with NTL at some point. The fact that it all relies on a server at the Cable Company's end and not on the STB, and given the assortment of set top boxes out there, the proposition is as future proof as you can get. This was the most impressive thing for me and is miles quicker and better than my Sky services at present. With $100m spent by ICTV IMO it is only a matter of time before this technology rolls out over the pond.

A lot of folk have commented on Yooplay TV. The board are well aware of the current content and there should be some major changes very shortly. The relationship with Channel 5 and Endemol is a very important one. The trial has gone very well and the first endpoint has passed successfully. We may get an update regarding this at some point. Certainly, the cross promotion between channel 5 and Yooplay has been invaluable and is unique. All indications that all is well there regarding customer take up. Furthermore, very interested to hear that they have spare capacity on the Freeview Channel 53, which sounds like it is going to be put to good commercial use. It was also stressed that Yoomedia have excellent relationships with BBC, Channel 5, ITV and Channel 4. Infact, Yoomedia is the preferred supplier of interactive services to these channels and is responsible for all the interactive advertising for Channel 4. Yoomedia aim to take further advantage of their patented Time Stamping patented technology and this is potentially a big revenue generator. Avago is also doing extremely well and it is the aim of the company to promote success on TV, online and mobile. The Board are excited by the synergistic possibilities for use of technology between brands and platforms in all parts of the business. This is only just being exploited and should also add low cost growth very quickly.

So many other points but I am knackered guys. The other guys feel free to fill in the blanks. Thanks again to all the guys who attended and those who emailed me. I am confident that this company has turned the corner. There seems to be plenty of newsflow to come from Yoo over the coming months. I would say that sub 8p is an excellent buying price.

Thanks to Paul Smith.


And after all of your badgering Ginger all day for his report - nobody had the courtesy to stay up and read it !!!!!!

The key points of the presentation for me were:-

1) Yoomedia's share of the third party red button market, a large growth area of the business in my opinion, second only to BSKYB at present, a good opportunity for third party users of the BSKYB platform to keep their transactions private from BSKYB, as BSKYB are competitors to all their third party users, especially in the games and gambling sector.

2) Broadband TV - a major asset to the company, with great overseas potential in the future, with most of the devlopment costs met by ICTV over a seven year period, it goes to prove how important the partnership with Yoomedia is to them, as the split of the jointly owned Broadband TV company is 50/50.

3) Yoomedia's potential to develop Channel 53 as there is a lot of unused capacity on the channel - expect developments their very soon

4) Yoomedia's Exeter office - which houses their own development team of 41 individuals - a highly experienced team to be envied by many.

5) Neil McDonald's ability to take forward all divisions of the company, and his ability to make changes when required, ie - Yoochat was quashed because it was not going to be cash generative, so releasing staff to take forward other more profitable parts of the company.

6) The importance of the partnership with Channel 5, which gives Yoomedia a definate advantage over other quiz channels on BSKYB in that they are able to get promotion on main stream TV, also, the link up with Endemol, producers of Big Brother - expect more developments there as time goes on

7) The success of Channel 279, which as from tonight, started to broadcast much earlier in the evening, so now even more exposure to premium rate telephone revenues, which I believe will play a big part in future revenues for Yoomedia.

A very positive presentation which gave me a lot more insight into the company we have all grown with over the past two and half years, and I am looking forward to the next three years as all the hard work done by the management, led by Dr Sinclair, will now start to move the company forward to the next level in 2006, as existing client realtionships develop further, such as William Hill and NHS Direct - what two larger clients on your books could you wish for at this stage in the companies development.

This is not a company to be judged solely on its current SP, it really does need to be judged on the future potential, and to that end, do not expect to make a quick buck over the next 12 months, it is for patient money, but, and the big but - do not risk being univested if you are serious about Yoomedia - because who knows what might come out of the woodwork in this fast emerging DTV sector - I would not expect to be able to get better value in the SP than what we see at present, and I would certainly expect to see the top end of the EVO forecast sooner than the end of 2006 from what I digested from the Yoomedia presentation, and would not be surprised to see it exceded IMHO.

Did they say when the rights issue would be ?

thanks to axe79.


1st Impresions of YOO.....

Having driven down to London on Weds morning, checking into the hotel my wife and I arrived unanounced at YOO's offices around 3.00pm. (Not having been to them before I wanted to check out the route and parking to drive to them later)

Gaining access via the entry phone the welcoming receptionist told me that Mike Sinclair was having a day off (celebrating the Jewish New Year) but was coming in especially for the meeting at 8.00pm. However she would see if Neil McDonald could see us.

Neil, I sensed was slightly thrown by us, but recovered well and spent 10 mins chatting. MS and NM share the same private office (being a desk apart) so one can see the close working relationship they have. He had to go off to a meeting in the board room,(where I could see people sat round the table through the glass) but handing me across to Eddie Adams who spent the next hour with us chatting and introducing us to all the heads of department in the building who we talked with.

We left the offices impressed with the friendly, professional atmosphere and the focus and commitment of all the staff, most of which were shareholders themselves having bought at far higher levels with their own money!

All credit to Mike Sinclair he really does know how to build a very strong team, and he does seem pleased with the whole group he now has across all of the divisions of YOO. People like Josie Adams would not have recently joined the company to head up the 'Dating division' (she was very upbeat on how things were going) if she couldn't build a great future.
Video streaming to 3G handsets with YOO's interactive technology,(3G handsets set to grow in 06 with targets of up to 9m in use, conservatively at least 100% growth!)

From the evenings presentation I did ask when the NTL trials would start (24th Oct in the Sth East of England) and over what period (30 days). This is the next development phase which is being actively developed in real time by YOO.
The whole point of the trials is to test the system and iron out any bugs they might find. From what we saw on a LIVE link in the board room (through one of the oldest original digital set top boxes) the seamless 'Broadband intergration' is mind blowing! With this exclusive dependable technology that YOO have it re-writes the use of television sets!
The really important point is that YOO's Patented cutting edge systems can be applied across ALL its divisions AND rolled out on a world wide basis.

MS would not say specifically (on the taped record) but did say they are in ongoing talks with various people.

Seeing that Mike Sinclair is featured in the top 100 Sunday Times 'rich list' (having made his fortune in previous busineses) Shareholders should be reassured that under his stuardship it is likely that he will make another one with YOO.

ICTV-YooMedia Joint Venture to Begin Interactive TV Trials on ntl
--ICTV CEO, Jeff Miller, Discusses the Development with [itvt]

BroadbandTV Group, a joint venture between UK-based YooMedia and US-based ICTV that was set up last fall (see [itvt] Issue 5.68 Part 1), recently announced that, following successful lab tests, UK cable operator, ntl, will begin live trials of Internet-based interactive TV programming using ICTV's HeadendWare platform. (Note: earlier this week, ntl announced that it has acquired rival Telewest, in a 3.4 billion cash-and-shares deal.) The trials will take place in a select group of ntl digital cable households in a number of geographical locations in the fourth quarter. The HeadendWare platform is designed to overcome the limitations of the low-resource set-top boxes which have been widely deployed by cable operators in the US and elsewhere and which are unlikely to be replaced anytime soon. It pushes complex, IP-based ITV applications--encoded in cable environments as MPEG-2 streams--from the headend to thin-client set-top boxes, and allows those apps to utilize a variety of Internet technologies, including HTML, java script, Java, Windows Media Player, Flash, RealPlayer and Quicktime. The trial deployment with ntl will see HeadendWare enabling the delivery of Internet-based interactive programming on ntl's existing set-tops.

Courtesy of Warren G from over the road...

from today's itvt newsletter - interview with CEO of ICTV ('scuse the long post)

ICTV-YooMedia Joint Venture to Begin Interactive TV Trials on ntl
--ICTV CEO, Jeff Miller, Discusses the Development with [itvt]

BroadbandTV Group, a joint venture between UK-based YooMedia and US-based ICTV that was set up last fall (see [itvt] Issue 5.68 Part 1), recently announced that, following successful lab tests, UK cable operator, ntl, will begin live trials of Internet-based interactive TV programming using ICTV's HeadendWare platform. (Note: earlier this week, ntl announced that it has acquired rival Telewest, in a #3.4 billion cash-and-shares deal.) The trials will take place in a select group of ntl digital cable households in a number of geographical locations in the fourth quarter. The HeadendWare platform is designed to overcome the limitations of the low-resource set-top boxes which have been widely deployed by cable operators in the US and elsewhere and which are unlikely to be replaced anytime soon. It pushes complex, IP-based ITV applications--encoded in cable environments as MPEG-2 streams--from the headend to thin-client set-top boxes, and allows those apps to utilize a variety of Internet technologies, including HTML, java script, Java, Windows Media Player, Flash, RealPlayer and Quicktime. The trial deployment with ntl will see HeadendWare enabling the delivery of Internet-based interactive programming on ntl's existing set-tops. ntl currently offers a number of relatively simple ITV applications over Liberate middleware.

BroadbandTV Group has developed and aggregated a range of interactive programming for the trials, including news, entertainment, games and lifestyle programming. In order to do so, it has built up a partner program that will allow it to offer ntl customers content--much of it adapted from existing Web sites--from ITN, MTV Networks, Emap, Turner Broadcasting, Sesame Workshop, UKTV and other high-profile programmers. [itvt] asked ICTV CEO, Jeff Miller, to describe some of the interactive content that has been developed for the ntl trial under the auspices of the content partner program: "ITN, for example, is producing an interactive news channel that allows viewers to select and view stories and video clips," he explained. "Some of the clips will be national in orientation, and others will be localized to the area where the content is being viewed. MTV is offering music videos in an Internet style--meaning that you can click on a clip and view it, or click on information that surrounds the clip. So it's a more granular, interactive experience. If you look at MTV Overdrive online and see the way that operates, that's similar to what we're offering in the ntl trial. Sesame Workshop," he continued, "will primarily be providing children's games, including TvHead games--as you know, we have deployed those games in several Time Warner Cable and Grande Communications systems in the US. Turner Broadcasting is offering Cartoon Network games and content, again presented in a Web style, where players can click on the games they would like to play or the content they'd like to view. Emap is providing a streaming radio service--a replay-radio service, if you will. You can click on it and hear both live and canned radio-play content from their radio stations. UKTV, meanwhile, has produced a food channel that provides on-demand cooking information: recipes, cooking videos, that kind of thing, that you click through with your remote control." Miller added that some of the content will be offered free-of-charge and some on a subscription basis: "The goal is to evaluate not only how the technology operates on ntl's live network, but how well the content sells," he said. [itvt] asked Miller what kinds of challenges BroadbandTV Group faced in preparing its offering for ntl: "The challenges were fairly minor," he said. "Most of them were related to resolution adjustments--to the process of making content that was designed for PC resolution look good on television. The rest of the year between signing our deal and launching the service was spent developing various tests within ntl's network, and verifying that our technology integrates properly with their VOD platform, their middleware and their EPG."

One of BroadbandTV's primary goals with the ntl deployment, according to Miller, has been to ensure that its interactive services are seamlessly integrated with the traditional television-viewing experience: "ICTV is a strong proponent of the idea that interactive content should not be presented on television as a separate service," he said. "It shouldn't be that you either watch TV or you watch interactive. The proper way to do this is by creating additional channels of content--so that some channels happen to be linear channels and some channels happen to give you the ability to interact. So this is how our service is being presented to ntl customers: it will be embedded in the EPG, and it will be possible from the EPG to select these new interactive channels. The content has to be TV-friendly and integrated in such a way that it becomes a natural part of the viewing experience. So what will happen is that you'll go to the guide, and within it you'll see a listing for The Cartoon Network's linear channel, and then right next to it you'll see "Cartoon Network Interactive"--or however it will be branded--and that will be the interactive version of the channel. We're hoping to create more and more of these channels that will live in the EPG and blur the distinction between what is interactive and what is television. Our belief is that content that shows up on television needs to look like television."

Another goal for ICTV with the ntl trial, Miller said, is to validate its belief that one of the important advantages of its technology is its ability to repurpose as a natural, "televisual" end-user experience the increasing amount of video-rich multimedia content that is currently being developed for the Web: "What we're seeing in the industry is the creation of more and more content for Web distribution that looks like television, with more video and less text, but still with the kind of sophisticated control you have on a Web site," he said. "So, while we certainly do other things--HeadendWare is great for playing games, for example--where we think that HeadendWare will have its strongest impact is in bringing all this content that is being created for the Web to cable and IPTV. Because what that does is give consumers the wide array of content choices and the kind of fine-grained control you get on the Web, without their having to go to their home office and sit at their computer to do it--and it gives it to them in a way that integrates seamlessly with the rest of their TV viewing."


According to Miller, ntl is interested in deploying ICTV's technology not least because it believes it will allow it to leapfrog BSkyB's interactive services: "One of the main reasons they like this offering is because it's extremely competitive with what's offered on Sky," he said. "In fact, a lot of what we're doing with them, you just can't do on Sky. Until now, their interactive offering has been based on Liberate middleware, and it's essentially limited to--at best--doing nothing more than Sky. In contrast, our headend-based solution offers more capabilities and more content possibilities than you can do either on Sky's platform or on Liberate middleware." [itvt] asked Miller if he believes that HeadendWare will supersede use of Liberate's middleware on ntl if the trial proves successful. "No, I don't believe that's their intention," he said. "At any rate, we've always believed at ICTV that, while there are many functions that belong in the network, there are still some functions that belong in the set-top box. We don't seek to replace functions that belong in the set-top box, we seek to enhance them. The guide, we think, has a place in the set-top box; enhanced overlays and those kinds of things also belong in the set-top. However, we believe that there are kinds of interactive content--exemplified by the personalized channels we've created for this trial--that can't be done by technology in a set-top box. It should be embedded in the programming and should be offered from the network. So we're basically extending what Liberate's middleware can do in a set-top box by offering additional interactive programming that comes from the network."

ICTV is also currently conducting lab trials of HeadendWare with London-based Video Networks, the company that offers the VOD-enabled IPTV service, HomeChoice. While Miller said he was not at liberty to discuss those trials in any detail, he told us that they are proceeding very well, and that ICTV is also working with a number of other IPTV providers that it has yet to announce. "One of the real strengths of our solution is that it is platform-independent--it works just as well on IPTV as on cable," he said. "This, of course, is very attractive to content providers, as we can offer them the ability to produce one version of a channel, program or other piece of content and to have it reach a very wide audience. So we aren't just going to content providers with the proposition, 'Port to our platform and we'll get you on ntl,' but with the proposition, 'Simply repurpose the content that you already have in your Web properties, and we'll make it available to ntl, Grande, Time Warner, and anyone else we're working with.'"

"Neil McDonald, who did a fantastic job at Dixons (PCWorld was his brainchild)"

A little embelishment of facts there. Neil actually headed up the business centres concept in the old Dixons stores. He was the category marketing manager, not the brainchild of PC World. Neil worked in product marketing at Dixons back in the days of the Amstrad 1512 and helped form the business centre concept for Dixons stores. The hope was to create a seperate store but it never happened. PC World was bought from Vision technology for a few million in the early 90's and expanded under various stewards. Terry Duddy now CEO of Argos retail was one of the earlier managing directors. Neil left Dixons to join Fujitsu in an ultimately failed attempt to get their consumer channel runner. He then when into 'new media' companies.

Feel free question Neil on these points.

Bothered

Thanks to axe79.


Just had this E Mail from MS.......

I mentioned that at the AGM I was asked a question about cost savings on consolidating the DITG acquisition. I repled that we had originally budgeted for 2.7 mill of savings. By the AGM we had achieved 3.7. At present we are looking at c.4.0. Hope that helps. It was good to meet you all.
Regards
Mike

GP of 40% + was the answer given to my question of how profitable the group was now, and will of course be before exceptionals and write downs are stripped out.

As a group of Investors we were given the identical presentation as what they have been giving to Brokers and Institutions. I suspect we might have been more aware and probing in the questions put to them, but they were all answered without hesitation in a open manner by the management present.

They of course knew that we would be publishing our findings on the boards and were positive in helping there shareholders have a greater grasp of the business that they are investing in.