SMARDTV TO PURCHASE ASSETS FROM FRENCH TECHNOLOGY COMPANY IWEDIA
- Reinforcing R&D capability as CI Plus gains traction across Europe
- Extending ability to provide innovate solutions based on the CI Plus specifications by incorporating CI Plus software modules from Iwedia into SmarDTV products.
- Building on over a decade of experience in the field of digital television by integrating industry veterans into the SmarDTV team.
Cheseaux, Switzerland – 2 December 2010 – SmarDTV, a Kudelski Group (SIX: KUD.S) company, today announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase certain assets from French technology company Iwedia including the transfer of all staff (approximately 20) from Iwedia to SmarDTV.
“We are delighted to announce our acquisition of the Iwedia team and assets” said Eric Chaubert, CEO of SmarDTV. “CI Plus is really building steam across Europe with over 20 operators having now deployed CI Plus and the addition of the Iwedia team will add to our ability to supply our innovative solutions rapidly. The team has a huge experience of developing products for television operators, STB and iDTV vendors including solutions for CI Plus and has also a skill-set that reinforces our existing team’s capability. Their experience and expertise will help us achieve the objectives we have set ourselves in our markets”.
SmarDTV intends to transfer all Iwedia employees to its newly formed subsidiary SmarDTV Rennes and so reinforce its commitment to expanding it technology base in France.
About the Kudelski Group and SmarDTV
The Kudelski Group (SIX: KUD.S) 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.
SmarDTV, a Kudelski Group company, is an international leader in pay television technology. SmarDTV designs and manufactures highly secure, interchangeable modules and associated enabling technologies, which provide an attractive alternative to set to boxes to access digital Pay-TV by requiring only one remote control, offering much lower energy consumption and not requiring extra cables. SmarDTV CAMs and CableCARDs are used daily by millions of subscribers around the world. A founding member of CI Plus Forum, SmarDTV is headquartered in Switzerland with development and sales offices in France, Germany, Singapore, Korea, Italy, Spain and US. Please visit www.smardtv.com for more information.
Contacts:
Ivan Schnider
(contact for trade media)
Nagravision SA
Head of Marketing Communications
+41 21 732 09 40
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]
Conor Ryan
SmarDTV
Vice-President of Marketing
+Tel: +41 (0)21 732 04 04
[email protected]
Note to the editors
SmarCAM-3 is plugged directly in the digital TV using the industry standard DVB-CI interface and the signal is always in digital format. No analog conversion or interface is necessary, providing improvement over traditional Set-Top Box connectivity that often uses SCART connectivity.
CI Plus is a technical specification that adds additional security and features to the proven DVB Common Interface Standard that will allow CI Plus compatible consumer electronic devices, such as Integrated Digital Televisions and Set-Top Boxes, access to a wide range of Pay TV Services via plug-in CI Plus Modules wherever the CI Plus Technology is supported by the local Pay TV Provider. More information on CI Plus (specification, implementation guideline, license agreement) is available on www.ci-plus.com.