Interactive Home Entertainment Options Grow As Thomson Multimedia Expands Availability Of Wink-Enabled RCA-DIRECTVÆ System Receivers

Set-Top Receiver Products Designed To Enhance The Television Viewing Experience With Multiple Viewer Participation Choices, Access To Personal Weather, Sports, News

29-Jan-01

The pathway to interactive digital home entertainment via satellite continues to expand with widespread availability of Thomson Multimedia's (NYSE: TMS) RCA brand DIRECTVÆ receivers that incorporate DIRECTV INTERACTIVEô Powered By Wink.Thomson offers four RCA DIRECTV receivers that include DIRECTV INTERACTIVE Powered By Wink, allowing consumers to view interactive enhancements to popular TV shows, access sports statistics, news headlines and weather forecasts on demand, request information and purchase products via the TV as well as enjoy access to more than 225 channels of subscription television service from DIRECTV.In addition to new capabilities in interactive TV watching, new subscribers who purchase the Wink-enabled systems, starting January 25, will benefit from special DIRECTV mail-in rebate offers that make the RCA-DIRECTV Systems even more attractive. The service - DIRECTV INTERACTIVE Powered By Wink - is free to owners of Wink-capable RCA-DIRECTV receivers.""Thomson's RCA brand is the only manufacturer currently offering Wink-enabled satellite receiver systems which provide consumers with the broadest scope of interactive features available in the marketplace today,"" said David Spomer, Vice President - Digital Decoder Product Management. ""These digital products provide a richer, more robust TV experience with easy access to a wide array of programming and information options.""""DIRECTV's rebate offer is designed to suit the needs of virtually every customer as well as enable new DIRECTV customers to receive a rebate,"" said Bill Casamo, President, DIRECTV Merchandising, Inc. ""We believe our customers will respond very favorably to interactive television programming and advertising enhancements from Wink when coupled with the variety of programming available on DIRECTV.""""This rebate offer to consumers is a great reason to subscribe to DIRECTV,"" said Marc Kirshbaum, Vice President of Strategic Development and Direct Broadcast Satellite Sales, Wink Communications. ""Purchasing an RCA-DIRECTV System allows DIRECTV viewers to enjoy the benefits and pure fun of interactive television.""Starting this month, consumers also may elect to participate in a special national promotion by DIRECTV that will provide new residential customers with up to $200 in mail-in rebate offers. The offers, which run from January 25 through April 11, are available to new residential customers who purchase an RCA-DIRECTV System plus professional installation, and commit to and activate one year of any TOTAL CHOICEô premium programming package by April 25, 2001.RCA-DIRECTV Systems that incorporate DIRECTV INTERACTIVE Powered By Wink include the DS4440RE (suggested retail price $299), the DS4280RE (suggested retail price $249), the DS4240RE (suggested retail price $199), and the DS4120RE (suggested retail price $79). Wink-enabled stand-alone receivers include the DRD480RE (suggested retail price $199), the DRD440RE (suggested retail price $149) and the DRD420RE (suggested retail price $99).Thomson was the first manufacturer of Wink-capable DIRECTV receivers and has been the primary manufacturer to market the receivers to retailers.Wink's technology allows TV networks, producers, and advertisers to expand the viewing experience with broadcast-related interactive overlays that appear as supplemental text and graphics on the television screen.Wink Interactive TV gives viewers a free and convenient way to interact with programs and advertisements while they continue to watch DIRECTV. By clicking their remote control during an enhanced program or advertisement, the viewer can access program-related information, such as weather, sports, and news updates, trivia and play-along games, request product samples, coupons, and other free offers from advertisers, or make purchases instantly.DIRECTV INTERACTIVE Powered By Wink is free to owners of Wink-capable RCA DIRECTV receivers and requires no infrastructure upgrades or additional hardware in the home. The Wink-enhanced interactive broadcasts are available on more than 2,000 hours of programming each week. Thirty interactive broadcast channels are available, including dedicated DIRECTV interactive channels and a variety of broadcast and network affiliates such as CBS, CNBC, CNN, E! Entertainment Television, ESPN, Fox, NBC, TBS, TNT, Tech TV, The Weather Channel and more.DIRECTV expects to have the DIRECTV INTERACTIVE service operating in over five million DIRECTV customer homes by the end of 2001, making it the largest interactive television deployment in the U.S.For more information about Thomson Multimedia, visit www.thomson-multimedia.com. For more information about DIRECTV, Inc., visit www.directv.com. For more information about Wink Communications, Inc., visit www.wink.com.

Read More:
http://www.wink.com
http://www.directv.com
http://www.thomson-multimedia.com