THOMSON multimedia To Purchase Singingfish.com To Build Streaming Media Capabilities

Leading Technology Helps Web Search Engines And Portal Sites Find Streaming Audio And Video Content

14-Aug-00

THOMSON multimedia announced the signature of a letter of intent to purchase Singingfish.com, a privately-held company that helps search engines identify audio and video streams as well as mp3 audio files. Based in Seattle, Washington, Singingfish.com specializes in identifying, categorizing and indexing streaming media and downloadable media files on broadband networks and the World Wide Web. The cash acquisition is expected to be completed shortly, once definitive agreements are signed. ""As digital content distribution grows in importance, we believe it will be critical for companies to master key technologies that let consumers easily find valuable audio and video content that they want to watch and enjoy. Singingfish.com has developed technology that helps search engines identify streamed content, a valuable asset for future broadband multimedia networks,"" said Don Vassel, Vice President of THOMSON multimedia. The Singingfish.com acquisition is part of a larger move announced by THOMSON multimedia to form a new business segment called Digital Media Solutions that will provide key infrastructure products and services to the entertainment and media industries. Digital Media Solutions will offer integrated and comprehensive application platforms that will enable broadband distribution models for high-value video and audio content, making it easier for consumers and content providers to fully exploit the advantages of digital technology. Singingfish.com will continue to operate as an independent, wholly-owned subsidiary with its executive team retaining responsibility for overall business and strategic direction. According to Singingfish.com CEO Mike Behlke, the acquisition grew out of strategic discussions between the two companies earlier this year. ""THOMSON multimedia's vision in the multimedia and convergence arena so closely matched our own that it was inevitable that we would develop a closer alliance. The acquisition gives us the opportunity to become the dominant multimedia search engine and pursue our business strategy at a greatly accelerated pace,"" Behlke said. Singingfish.com employs 45 people. Portal sites will utilize Singingfish's technology to allow users to easily find content regardless of format (such as RealNetworks, Windows Media, or Apple Quicktime) across their Internet and broadband channels. ""Our approach to the challenge of streaming media search has allowed us to build a vast multimedia index in a relatively short time. We've already identified more than three million streams, and expect that number to top nine million by the end of this year. Our technology allows us not only to identify streaming media and MP3s, but actually add in a great deal of meaningful data. This enables individual streams to be more easily identified and searches to be more accurate,"" added Behlke. About THOMSON multimedia With sales of 6.7 billion Euros (U.S. $6.5 billion) in 1999 and 55,000 employees in more than 30 countries, THOMSON multimedia, is the world's fourth largest producer of consumer electronics. The group has four principal activities: Displays and Components, Consumer Products, New Media Services, and Patents and Licensing. THOMSON multimedia engineers, manufactures, and markets display components and consumer products such as televisions, VCRs, audio systems, digital decoders, DVD-Video players and professional video equipment under the popular RCA and THOMSON brand names. THOMSON multimedia is listed in the Paris (Sicovam: 18453) and New York (NYSE: TMS) stock exchanges. THOMSON multimedia is the parent company of the U.S.-based Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.thomson-multimedia.com. About Singingfish.comSeattle, Washington-based Singingfish.com was founded in 1999 to develop streaming media search services for the convergent broadcast and digital information and entertainment industries. The company licenses private-label search services to portals, search and directory sites, broadband service providers, content aggregators, news organizations, entertainment networks and Intranet developers. Singingfish.com is privately held and funded primarily by Madrona Group, a venture capital firm which has helped fund leading companies such as Amazon.com, Teledesic, Avenue A and Nordstrom.com. The company has also received minority venture capital from eFund as well as financing from angel investors. For more information, visit http://www.singingfish.com.

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