(Source: Business Wire)
Macrovision Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ:MVSN) announced today that it has now licensed its intellectual property related to its G-GUIDE Mobile Interactive Program Guide (IPG) for One-Segment Broadcasting to Japan's three major phone operators. NTT DOCOMO, the most recent licensee addition in Japan, joins major Japanese mobile phone operators and existing licensees KDDI and SOFTBANK MOBILE. NTT DOCOMO and Macrovision have extended their relationship to now include a new agreement with Macrovision that incorporates One-Segment Broadcasting and related services. Since December 2004, NTT DOCOMO has deployed Macrovision's G-GUIDE Mobile Interactive Program Guide (IPG) for mobile handsets.
"We are pleased to announce our continued collaboration with NTT DOCOMO, and to expand our relationship further," said Akitaka Nishimura, senior vice president of Asia Pacific at Macrovision. "Our licensing agreements with NTT DOCOMO, KDDI and SOFTBANK MOBILE are testament to the value that G-GUIDE Mobile and our related intellectual property provide. We remain dedicated to working with these operators to bring advanced functionality with our guides to mobile device consumers in Japan on a variety of emerging platforms."
G-GUIDE Mobile is Macrovision's electronic programming guide for mobile handsets in Japan. It enables mobile phone users to easily view and record their favorite TV programs from their phones. Mobile operators are able to provide comprehensive TV programming information as well as enhanced functionality to subscribers including the ability to remotely control TV, video and DVD players using their phones.
The G-GUIDE Mobile service started on December 1, 2004 in Japan and reached 10 million registered users for the first two years. Since that time, it has tripled in users to reach 30 million at the end of 2008. 86.7% of the population in Japan owns a mobile phone.*
*Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in Japan
About Macrovision Solutions Corporation
Macrovision Solutions Corporation is focused on powering the discovery and enjoyment of digital entertainment by providing a broad set of integrated solutions that are embedded in our customers' products and services and used by end consumers to simplify and guide their interaction with digital entertainment. Macrovision's technologies are deployed by companies in the entertainment, consumer electronics, cable and satellite, and online distribution markets to solve industry-specific challenges and bring greater value and a more robust user experience to their customers.
