- Tivu Sat free-to-air satellite service is scheduled for market introduction in June of 2009
- New Tivu Sat service insures uninterrupted delivery of all leading Italian free-to-air channels across the country during and after analog switch off
- To protect content rights and keep programming viewed in Italian territory, channels will be scrambled and access protected by Nagravision conditional access system
Cheseaux, Switzerland – February 23, 2009 – Nagravision, a Kudelski Group (SWX:KUD) company and the world's leading independent provider of value-added content protection solutions, will provide the conditional access system (CAS) for Tivu Sat. Tivu Sat is the free-to-air (FTA) satellite service jointly owned by Italian broadcasters RAI, Mediaset and Telecom Italia Media.
Scheduled for market introduction in June of 2009, the free service will be offered to all households unable to receive the digital terrestrial television (DTT) FTA channels during and after the analog terrestrial switch off that is planned for completion by the end of 2012. Channels available on the new Tivu Sat set-top box are the same as the ones viewed free today on DTT set-top boxes. Channels include RAI 1, RAI 2, RAI 3, RAI 4, CANALE 5, ITALIA 1, RETE 4, LA7, BOING, IRIS, along with many others., The Tivu Sat channels will be scrambled with Nagravision and decoded with smartcards to enforce the rights of sports and movies suppliers, thus ensuring that content shall not be viewed outside of the Italian territory.
"Nagravision with its industry leading CAS solution and overall market expertise was the logical choice for this project," said Alberto Sigismondi CEO at Tivu. "They have demonstrated that whether supporting services with thousands of subscribers or hundred of thousands of subscribers, their content protection services scale as needed."
It's estimated that up to two million families may require the Tivu Sat set-top boxes as a consequence of the analog switch off. The retail price of the smartcard, though not currently defined, is expected to remain low, while covering the cost of the cards. No subscription fees will be charged to the consumer and there is no expiration date on the smartcard.
"The analog switch off is coming, and yet, millions of households will require support and services to keep their analog sets receiving signals," said Carlo Stramaglia, Head of Nagravision Italy. "It's an honor to be selected for this ambitious project and to play a key role in keeping services available to these families."
About Tivu Sat
Tivu is a joint venture between Mediaset (48%), RAI (48%) and Telecom Italia Media (4%). The main focus of this JV is to be the entity that will drive the transition from the terrestrial analog broadcast system to the digital one. At this extent, Tivu will act as the "umbrella" brand for all the analog national and regional broadcasters that are currently migrating to the new digital terrestrial transmission (DTT) system. Tivu will also provide the satellite service called "Tivu Sat" that will allow users, living in the Italian territory that will not be covered by the DTT signal, to enjoy the DTT TV channels using a satellite Set Top Box.
About the Kudelski Group and Nagravision
The Kudelski Group (SWX: KUD.VX) is a world leader in digital security and convergent media solutions for the delivery of digital and interactive content. Its technologies are used in a wide range of services and applications requiring access control and rights management to secure the revenue of content owners and service providers for digital television and interactive applications across broadcast, broadband and mobile delivery networks. The Kudelski Group is also a world technology leader in the area of access control and management of people or vehicles to sites and events. It additionally offers professional recorders and high-end Hi-Fi products. The Kudelski Group is headquartered in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland. Please visit www.nagra.com for more information.
Nagravision, a Kudelski Group company, is the leading supplier of open conditional access systems, DRM and integrated on-demand solutions for content providers and digital TV operators over broadcast, broadband and mobile platforms. Its technologies are currently being used by more than 120 leading Pay-TV operators worldwide securing content delivered to over 92 million active smart cards and devices. Please visit www.nagravision.com for more information.
Contacts:
Ivan Schnider
(contact for trade media)
Nagravision SA
Head of Marketing Communications
+41 21 732 09 40
[email protected]
Daniel Herrera
(contact for general interest media)
Kudelski Group
Head of Corporate Communications
+41 21 732 01 81
[email protected]
Santino Rumasuglia
(contact for investors and financial analysts)
Kudelski Group
Head of Investor Relations
+41 21 732 01 24
[email protected]