SkyLife Broadens
Relationship With NDS By Selecting VideoGuard And MediaHighway For New HD
Service
(13 July 2008) NDS, the leading
provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that Korea
Digital Satellite Broadcasting Co. Ltd., (SkyLife), Korea's first and only
satellite pay-TV operator, has extended its long-standing relationship with NDS
by selecting market-leading VideoGuard conditional access (CA) technology and
MediaHighway middleware for its new HDTV service.
SkyLife HD is
the first H.264 based HD service in Korea.
NDS has been SkyLife's
technology partner since the pay-TV operation was established in March 2001.
During this time, NDS has supplied SkyLife with its CA and middleware, as well
as industry-leading XTV Digital Video Recorder (DVR) technology and NDS
Electronic Program Guide (EPG).
SkyLife is enhancing its offering to
subscribers with the launch of live HD services, and continues to trust NDS
technology to protect and power the delivery of high value content. SkyLife HD
is a 24-hour HD service which aggregates the world's best HD content from
broadcasters such as Discovery HD, NHK, VOOM HD, and others. Viewers must
subscribe to the SkyLife HD package in order to watch the HD channels and
selected HD packages also include SD channels.
VideoGuard is the most
advanced content security available today, currently protecting over 86.9
million active devices world-wide. In addition to providing robust content
protection, VideoGuard facilitates an extensive range of pay-TV business
models, such as multiple channel packages, tiering, pay-per-view purchase of
programs from the EPG, impulse pay-per-view and other services that allow the
operator to maximise viewer choice, build loyalty, and generate
revenues.
Announcing this new offering, Mr. Sung Yong Woo, Chief
Technology Officer, SkyLife said, "SkyLife is pleased to be offering Korean
viewers the best quality HD pay-TV service anywhere. We are confident that NDS'
unrivalled technology leadership will assist us in providing our subscribers
the most advanced and exciting viewing experience possible."
Ms. Sue
Taylor, Vice President and General Manager of NDS Asia Pacific said, "NDS is
proud to be working with SkyLife, Korea's first and only digital satellite
platform. Since the establishment of our relationship in 2001, SkyLife has
grown impressively. This new agreement for securing and enabling HD services
further consolidates our relationship and enables SkyLife to provide more
choices for Korean viewers".
About SkyLife
SkyLife is the first
and the only digital satellite broadcasting company in Korea. SkyLife provides
over 160 video and audio channels including 24-hour HD channel SkyLife HD,
SkyLife also offers 'Sky Touch', interactive broadcasting service, which has
DVB-MHP application basis for the first time in the world. Sky Touch provides
36 services including games, educational programming, TV banking and
transactional TV. Launched in 2002, SkyLife now reaches over 2.3 million
subscribers.
About NDS
NDS Group plc, a majority owned subsidiary
of News Corporation, supplies open end-to-end digital technology and services
to digital pay-television platform operators and content
providers.
(source: NDS)
