Yesterday, Matsushita and Gemstar Multimedia Japan, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gemstar-TV Guide, jointly announced that the first Matsushita product incorporating the G-GUIDE Gold system in Japan, a 36 BS-Digital High-Vision television with built-in hard-disk recorder, will be available in retail stores on December 20, 2001. Additional Matsushita products incorporating G-GUIDE Gold are expected to be launched in the near future.
Gemstar-TV Guide will support G-GUIDE Gold by broadcasting its data (Gemstar Data) in both the vertical blanking interval of the television signals of the Tokyo Broadcast System (TBS) broadcast network, one of Japan’s top four national broadcast networks, and on Megaport, a leading provider of digital data services. In each case, Gemstar Data will reach virtually 100% of Japanese households.
Gemstar-TV Guide has entered into a joint-venture partnership with Dentsu, the largest advertising agency and media buying company in Japan, and Tokyo News, the leading supplier of television program listing data and the publisher of TV Guide magazine in Japan. The joint-venture, named IPG, Inc., will be responsible for generating recurring revenues based on the advertising, and eventually, transactional capabilities of G-GUIDE Gold.
I am extremely pleased with Matsushita’s announcement yesterday, meeting our mutually agreed-upon challenge to launch its first G-GUIDE Gold product in 2001, said Henry Yuen, chief executive officer of Gemstar-TV Guide. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Matsushita and all of our partners in Japan.
