itaas and TVWorks Expand Opportunities for TV Application Developers

New Program to Broaden Development of Innovative TV Services by Combining itaas Expertise with the TVWorks Platforms

itaas, Inc. and TVWorks, LLC today announced an agreement that broadens development opportunities for TV applications by adding the TVWorks tru2way and enhanced television (ETV) standards-based platforms to the itaas “istart” developer program.

Together, itaas and TVWorks will enable more rapid development of new TV services across both existing and advanced cable set-top boxes. This agreement enables itaas, the leading provider of multi-platform solutions for MSOs, programmers and application developers deploying interactive technology in the digital media industry, to provide their support, expertise and resources to developers who are creating new and compelling applications for platforms delivered by TVWorks, a joint venture of Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) and Cox Communications Inc. Developers who join istart will gain access to tools, documentation, software upgrades and support for the TVWorks platforms, and can leverage itaas’ expertise for complete product lifecycle assistance from concept through development, testing and post-deployment.

“We are pleased to expand the developer community for TV applications by enabling itaas to include the TVWorks platforms in istart,” said Greg Thomson, SVP Product Management & Business Development, TVWorks. “This will increase both the volume and velocity of a wide range of new TV services that differentiate cable from the competition and give subscribers even more compelling experiences on the TV.”

“The TVWorks ETV and tru2way platforms provide a ubiquitous application environment across the complete cable landscape, encompassing both legacy and next generation devices, thus bringing down many of the traditional application deployment barriers,” said Vibha Rustagi, President and CEO, itaas. “We are proud to play a key role in this process, providing TVWorks with their first external developer program to successfully advance the delivery and foster innovative new services on the Enhanced TV platform.”

The istart Application Developer Program offers a number of developer programs in addition to TVWorks, including Time Warner Cable’s Mystro Digital Navigator (MDN) and OCAP Digital Navigator (ODN) programs, as well as Scientific Atlanta’s Resident Application (SARA)/ PowerTV® and OCAP Axiom™ programs.

About TVWorks

TVWorks delivers software solutions that help take cable to the next level, remaining at the forefront of innovation in cable services. TVWorks’ history in the cable industry traces back to 1973, with the founding of Cableshare, where its ground-breaking technologies led to some of the world’s earliest interactive television trials and deployments. Next, teamed with Oracle’s NCI division and Netscape’s Navio spin-off, the company became Liberate Technologies, the foundation of the TVWorks Java-based platform technology and services. TVWorks then added MetaTV to the team, adding the Enhanced Television platform and advanced application technology and services. The TVWorks-Platform Division is located in London, Ontario and the TVWorks-Applications Division is located in Mill Valley, California. Both are divisions of TVWorks, LLC, a joint venture between Comcast and Cox Communications, two of the largest cable operators in the world.

About itaas, Inc.

itaas is the leading provider of multi-platform solutions for service providers, programmers, application developers and infrastructure providers deploying interactive technology in the digital media industry. MSOs turn to itaas to build and simulate wide scale deployments of new products and applications. Developers and programmers entrust itaas to develop and deploy applications and services that span all stages of the product lifecycle across cable, IPTV, and wireless. Infrastructure companies continue to leverage itaas’ client and server expertise in building creative and robust solutions around the digital STBs and headends. With more than 100 customers and a decade of proven results, itaas ensures their customers anticipate and address the challenges and opportunities in the evolving digital marketplace.

Contacts

JLM Partners for itaas
Stacy Oaksmith, 206-381-3600
stacy {at} jlmpartners(.)com
or
Comcast Corporation
Jenni Moyer, 215-286-3311
jenni_moyer {at} comcast(.)com