Germany's Leading Pay-TV Operator Premiere Adopts Macrovision to Protect Pay-Per-View Movies
Monday December 8, 4:00 am ET
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 2003--Macrovision Corporation (Nasdaq: MVSN - News), leading provider of copy protection and digital rights management technologies today announced that it will provide Premiere Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG ("Premiere"), Germany's primary pay-TV operator with video copy protection on all its pay-per-view movie channels. Premiere's pay-per-view offerings, shown on PREMIERE DIREKT, include exclusive films that subscribers can order around the clock on a once-off basis, with Hollywood blockbusters shown up to 18 months prior to their free-TV screening. Subscribers can choose among some 30 films a month on three different channels. In choosing Macrovision, Premiere has followed recommendations of the licensing movie companies to protect their intellectual property. The scale of this multi-year contract represents a major step forward for Macrovision® in the European TV market.
Speaking on behalf of Macrovision, Martin Brooker, Director of EMEA Sales stated, "We are delighted that we have been able to win one of Europe's major TV Broadcasters. The multi-year agreement reflects a major commitment from both parties to work together as this dynamic market sector grows."
While Macrovision already has considerable presence in the pay-TV marketplace, this contract is particularly significant because of the scale of the German pay-TV market within Europe.
Macrovision's technology enables consumers to view programs but prevents unauthorized recording of copy-protected content via videocassette recorders, hard drive recorders (DVRs), DVD recorders and compliant home media center PCs. It is a market proven, highly effective system for protecting digital content. Macrovision's copy protection is widely deployed worldwide in digital set-top boxes, as well as in almost all consumer electronic devices for video playback. In addition to its technical effectiveness and widespread hardware compliance programs, Macrovision's technology is supported by law under the auspices of the recently introduced European Copyright Directive, as copy protection circumvention devices or technology are illegal under the law.
