Sweden's Telia Gets OpenTV-Ready; OpenTV to Support Roll-Out of Interactive Television Services; Provides Europe's and the World's First Commercial Introduction of Internet Access Via OpenTV Web.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 1997--Marking the European and world introduction of Web access via advanced interactive television-enabled, digital set-top boxes, OpenTV Inc. has been selected by Telia InfoMedia TeleVision AB to provide its hardware- and platform-independent software solution for the introduction of advanced interactive television services and internet content to homes in Sweden.

Initial interactive television services that will be made available to Telia subscribers at no additional charge include the Q24 home shopping service, several pay-per-view channels, six games and an electronic program guide.

In addition, OpenTV will provide its OpenTV Web access software allowing Telia to offer Internet access to its subscribers via their digital set-top boxes. Entitled Minisurf, the new service will allow users to connect to a number of news, weather and entertainment home pages.

Telia InfoMedia TeleVision AB launched its digital television services package Nov. 17, to subscribers in Stockholm, Sweden, making it the first cable television company in the Nordic countries to provide digital transmission.

The company will continue to roll-out the digital services to subscribers across the country through 1998, at which point approximately 100,000 of Telia's 1.3 million households will be served.

To upgrade their service to the new digital platform, current Telia customers will pay a one-time fee which varies depending on the subscription period the customer chooses. New customers will purchase digital TV boxes in stores.

"This historic introduction of Internet access represents a further enhancement of the value of interactive television to consumers and leverages the constantly expanding volume of multimedia content available on the World Wide Web," said Jan Steenkamp, chief executive officer, OpenTV.

"We are proud to play a leadership role in introducing these advanced digital services to our customers throughout Sweden," said Hans Larsson, managing director, Telia InfoMedia TeleVision AB. "Our ability to offer such compelling content will significantly enhance the television viewing experience."

OpenTV is the leading software solution company engaged in providing all the key components for the development and delivery of interactive services and content to digital satellite, cable, terrestrial broadcast and other video delivery services worldwide.

Working in partnership with the world's leading consumer electronics companies, chip-set vendors, pay television set-top box providers and conditional access system providers, OpenTV provides the only truly open, digital platform for the rapid delivery and deployment of interactive television services and content.

OpenTV, formerly known as Thomson Sun Interactive, is jointly owned by Myriad International Holdings (MIH), an international pay TV company that recently purchased a 44 percent stake in OpenTV; Thomson Multimedia, a leading consumer electronics company; and top computer networking company, Sun Microsystems.

OpenTV played a leading role in the launch of TPS' (la Television Par Satellite) interactive services in France earlier this year and continues to be actively involved in the development and introduction of new applications.

The TPS services currently have more than 210,000 interactive television subscribers, making it the largest commercially operated system of its kind in the world.

The company recently signed major agreements to provide its OpenTV software solution to British Interactive Broadcasting's (BIB) interactive television services platform and to Japan's PerfecTV! OpenTV is also in the final stages of negotiation with leading television services in Denmark, the Netherlands, Africa, the Middle East and the United States.

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