Next DTV Summit '99 To Focus On Content, Programming

The Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA) will sponsor its fifth Digital Television (DTV) Summit in Los Angeles, California, on September 28, 1999. The event will be co-located with Digital Hollywood Los Angeles, an official event of the International CES, sponsored by Digital Hollywood and attended by representatives of online film, music and entertainment companies; information and entertainment content publishers; motion picture and television studio executives; and members of new media, computer and Internet companies; among others. Speaking at the National Association ofCEMA President Gary Shapiro announced that the event will focus on content for digital programming. He added that additional Summit sponsors will be announced shortly. ""Digital Television is the future! We want to work with the content community to ensure that consumers have compelling DTV programming. The Summit will provide an opportunity for our industries to discuss our DTV plans and work together to bring consumers the products and programming that will make DTV a success,"" said Shapiro. The Summit program will include a review of the latest consumer research, plans for broadcast, cable and satellite delivery of DTV, manufacturers' product plans, and plans for DTV programming and content availability. ""Digital Hollywood is pleased to be co-located with CEMA's DTV Summit,"" said Victor Harwood, producer of Digital Hollywood. ""We are extremely excited to serve as a forum to facilitate dialogue between the entertainment and technology industries, making this the greatest convergence event in the nation."" Broadcasters are required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to begin digital broadcasts in the top 10 markets (reaching 30 percent of U.S. households) by May 1999 and in the top 30 markets (reaching 50 percent of U.S. households) by November 1999. Already, broadcasters in more than 24 markets have launched digital transmissions. The Summit is open to manufacturers, broadcasters, cable and satellite executives, retailers, content providers and media. The Summit will be held at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. For more information about Summit registration, call 703 907 7605, or visit the CEMA Web site at http://www.cemacity.org or http://www.DigitalHollywood.com.