Oct. 27, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LodgeNet Interactive Corporation (Nasdaq: LNET), the leading provider of media and connectivity solutions to the hospitality industry, announced today at the LodgeNet Technology Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia that it has begun licensing its b-LAN(TM) (broadband local area network) technology to the two leading commercial TV manufacturers for inclusion in their newest high-definition (HD) television displays designed for the hospitality market.

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Initial agreements with LG Electronics and Philips Electronics authorize those companies to develop and market HDTVs which include LodgeNet's communication technology. With this new agreement, the companies will embed LodgeNet's patented b-LAN technology into their television sets, enabling the delivery of a wide range of interactive content and functionality on a more cost effective basis - including centralized free-to-guest (FTG) channel management, video on demand content and interactive guest services. In addition to the agreements with LG and Philips, LodgeNet is also negotiating with other consumer electronics companies to make its b-LAN technology available.

"Licensing our unique technology is a win-win proposition for hoteliers, our technology partners, and LodgeNet," said Scott E. Young, President of Hospitality for LodgeNet Interactive. "Integrating our b-LAN technology as part of new television sets will eliminate the cost of purchasing and installing external communications hardware in the room, significantly lowering the total cost of ownership for hoteliers implementing HD television services. This new arrangement will add value to TV manufacturers' product lines, and will streamline installation, service and support for their hospitality customers. And from LodgeNet's perspective, these new agreements will result in a significant operating advantage by creating a large base of "LodgeNet Ready" locations where we can deliver new interactive television services on a significantly improved cost basis."

LG Electronics, which signed the first license agreement in June, has shipped tens of thousands of hospitality HDTVs with embedded LodgeNet b-LAN technology, according to Richard Lewis, Senior Vice President of Research & Technology for LG Electronics USA Business Solutions, who called b-LAN "a key to reducing total cost of ownership" for hotel operators.