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September 07, 2007

KUDELSKI GROUP TO ENHANCE AND SECURE NEW HDTV PVR AND PUSH-VIDEO-ON-DEMAND SATELLITE SERVICE FOR CANALDIGITAAL AND TV-VLAANDEREN

  • CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen have selected NagraGuide, and OpenTV Core2™ and OpenTV PVR2™ to enable new HD subscription VOD service launching in 2008
  • CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen subscribers will benefit from the new middleware, customized programming guides and technology features that enable new service options
  • CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen currently use MediaGuard conditional access to protect multiple bouquets of TV programming
  • The overall Kudelski-based solution is expected to increase subscriber satisfaction, raise the average revenue per user (ARPU) and reduce churn

Cheseaux, Switzerland – September 7, 2007 - The Kudelski Group (SWX Swiss Exchange: KUD), a global leader in content protection and related digital television technologies, announced today that CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen, the only providers of digital satellite TV in the Netherlands and the north of Belgium, have selected a suite of Kudelski Group products to enhance and secure their new high definition television (HDTV) subscription video-on-demand (S-VOD) service scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2008. Kudelski Group products selected include the NagraGuide user interface system, OpenTV Core2™ and OpenTV PVR2™ software. HD personal video recorders (PVRs) with OpenTV software solutions, in combination with Nagravision content security and NagraGuide will provide CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen with outstanding protection for premium content, while offering subscribers with more service options. The overall Kudelskibased solution is expected to increase subscriber satisfaction, raise the average revenue per user (ARPU) and reduce churn.

CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen’s multiple bouquets of TV programming throughout the Netherlands and Belgium are already protected with the MediaGuard conditional access system deployed on subscribers’ set-top boxes. The OpenTV middleware as well as Nagravision security and NagraGuide products will integrate with new Philips HD PVR settop boxes and HD zapper boxes for a seamless solution. Viewers will access programming and VOD content through customized programme guides that display channel listings and purchasing options. The advanced features supported will provide CanalDigitaal and TVVlaanderen
subscribers with a range of interactive TV content, PVR, Push-VOD and HD services.

“Securing the programming and services we provide, while remaining competitive is critical to our success. Our subscribers want and expect us to offer the latest services available in digital television. Upgrading to Nagravision and OpenTV solutions from the Kudelski Group allows us to offer new services that should exceed our subscriber’s expectations,” said Kees Färber, COO of CanalDigitaal.

André Kudelski, Chairman and CEO of the Kudelski Group, said: "The Kudelski Group is offering to CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen an advanced PVR and Push-Video-on-Demand-solution that extends the capability of the operator to deliver high value-added content in an intuitive and user-friendly way. By introducing this new technology, CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen will generate extra revenues from the existing subscriber base. The solution provided by the Kudelski Group is quickly deployable and scalable to meet the current and future operators' needs."

The NagraGuide Solution is a powerful suite of interactive applications supporting both HD and SD user interfaces. It was specifically designed to make the most of today’s DVR set-top boxes integrated with Nagravision’s conditional access and Push-VOD technologies. NagraGuide was developed by Nagravision to guide subscribers as they adapt to the explosive growth in digital TV programs. NagraGuide makes it easier for subscribers to find out what they want to watch and help them quickly choose how and when they want to watch it.

OpenTV PVR2™ provides the underlying set-top box software and file system required for a network operator or consumer electronics manufacturer to create a PVR solution. OpenTV PVR2™ is built on OpenTV Core2™ middleware which provides the ability to route multiple sources of media streams to multiple destinations, enabling more flexible PVR functionality.

About CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen
CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen are combined the largest provider of digital TV in the Benelux with more than 800,000 customers. CanalDigitaal and TV-Vlaanderen operate via direct broadcast satellite, providing customers’ access to all the Dutch and Flemish public and commercial broadcasters, premium sports and movie services, thematic channels and a wide range of free-to-air channels in various languages currently available on Astra (more than 200). CanalDigitaal delivers "excellent quality of picture and sound" (according to the Dutch Consumers Society in 2005) when compared to other types of digital TV.

About the Kudelski Group
The Kudelski Group (SWX: KUD.VX), is a world leader in digital security. Its technologies are used in a wide range of applications requiring access control and rights management, whether for securing transfer of information (digital television, broadband Internet, video-ondemand, interactive applications, etc.) or to control and manage access of people or vehicles to sites and events. 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 world's leading independent 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 100 leading Pay-TV operators worldwide securing content delivered to over 77,5 million active smart cards and devices. For more information, please visit www.nagravision.com.

About OpenTV
OpenTV is one of the world’s leading providers of solutions for the delivery of advanced digital television and cross-platform interactive services. The company’s software has been integrated in more than 92 million digital set-top boxes and televisions around the world. The software enables enhanced program guides, video-on-demand, personal video recording, enhanced television, interactive shopping, interactive and addressable advertising, games and a variety of communications and customer care applications. For more information, please visit www.opentv.com.

Contact details:
Ivan Schnider
Nagravision Head of Marketing & Communications
+41 21 732 09 40
[email protected]

Christine Oury
OpenTV Director of Communications
+1 415 962 5433
[email protected]