FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
ChungHwa Telecom selects Widevine Technologies Virtual SmartCard™ to secure large scale Interactive TV Deployment
Widevine will provide Conditional Access and Digital Rights Management applications to ChungHwa for securing VOD and NVOD
Seattle, WA, July 15, 2003 – Widevine Technologies today announced that it has signed an Agreement to provide Taiwan’s state-owned ChungHwa Telecom with Cypher Suite, Conditional Access and Digital Rights Management hybrid as part of ChungHwa’s Interactive TV service called Multimedia on Demand (MOD). Under the terms of the Agreement, ChungHwa Telecom will license Cypher CA™ and Cypher VOD™ from Mediascape, Widevine’s Distributor in Taiwan. Widevine will be paid an upfront licensing fee plus an additional per-subscriber fee as the install base increases over the years.
ChungHwa Telecom’s MOD project, one of the largest in the world, will offer True Video-on-Demand (TVOD), Near VOD (NVOD) and Karaoke-on-Demand. ChungHwa Telecom operates both domestic and international telecom services in Taiwan. With well over 1 million current broadband subscribers, video-on-demand is an ideal added value service for them.
Commercial deployment of the Widevine Cypher solution is targeted to begin in the fall of 2003. MOD expects to service over 1 million subscribers using VOD in the not too distant future.
“We are honoured by ChungHwa’s long term financial and technical commitment to Widevine. The size and scope of this deal has cemented Widevine’s leadership position in the next generation content security market. As a direct result of this deal, Widevine is actively replicating this success world-wide,” said Brian Baker, President and Founder.
Widevine’s Cypher Suite is based upon the industry’s only Virtual SmartCard™. The Virtual SmartCard improves upon the legacy physical smart cards by providing greater security and flexibility at a lower cost.
John Hoskins, VP of Marketing and Sales of Widevine said, “receiving the award of this Tender is a tremendous accomplishment for Widevine. To be chosen over stiff competition is a strong endorsement of our Virtual SmartCard technology. ChungHwa Telecom’s MOD recognizes its benefits and advantages over the legacy physical smart card systems.”
“Widevine presented us with a precise technological fit for our requirements,” stated Dr. Chain-Chin Yen, ChungHwa Telecom MOD Director. “The strong combination of leading edge technology and Widevine’s good relationship with Hollywood placed them at the top in the field.”
Mediascape, Widevine’s sales agent in Taiwan, secured the Agreement. C.T. Gau, General Manager of Mediascape, commented: “ChungHwa’s MOD project requires best of breed technologies and Widevine proved to have exactly what it takes. The Virtual SmartCard is the obvious answer to maintaining and operating a secure content delivery system. The selection of the Cypher Suite is a testament to Widevine’s position as the leading vendor of next generation conditional access and digital rights management. It is also proof of ChungHwa’s dedication to delivering a quality service to its customers.”
About Widevine Technologies, Inc.
Widevine supplies a comprehensive suite of conditional access and digital rights management products to the Telco, Cable, and Satellite Operators enabling the deployment of Interactive Television services such as Digital Broadcast, VOD and PVR. Widevine insures that the content that is watched is paid for and that it is only used for its intended purpose Headquartered in Seattle, Widevine’s products secure video services (VOD, broadcast channels, etc.) over cable, xDSL (Telco), and Fiber optic networks. Comprised of world-class engineers and experts in security and encryption, Widevine has developed a unique suite of technologies and products to secure the transmission of media. Widevine has 1 patent issued and 21 pending.
About ChungHwa Telecom
Headquartered in Taipei, ChungHwa Telecom Co., Ltd. has been providing Taiwan with telecommunications services, including telephone, mobile, leased-line, Internet access, and other services for over 50 years. ChungHwa Telecom currently provides ADSL services to over 1,200,000 customers and expects to reach 2,000,000 this year. ChungHwa Telecom’s English website is www.cht.com.tw/CHTFinalE/Web/.
About Mediascape Corp.
Mediascape Corp. was established in 2003. Mediascape is a private company under laws of Republic of China. Mediascape focuses on the agency and technology integration of products related to multimedia video services. Mediascape has a strong software development team providing value-added applications on leading edge video solution products. For more information please visit www.mediascape.com.tw.
Media Contact:
Amanda Burrows
Widevine Technologies
Tel: +1 206 254 3110
aburrows@widevine.com
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