01/08/2009

AP Press Release

Associated Press joins Intel Widget Channel at CES, delivers Internet rich news application to TV

LAS VEGAS -- The Associated Press has developed a customizable news ticker widget that scrolls across the bottom of the television screen and allows the viewer to select which categories of headlines are of most interest. It is featured on the Widget Channel demonstration at Intel’s ‘Internet on TV’ demonstrations at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week.

AP's customizable news ticker is among the new widgets from content service providers included in the Intel ‘Internet on TV’ demonstration available to 2009 International CES attendees at Intel booth No. 7153 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The AP news ticker widget was developed in-house by the AP Global Product Development and Technology team. The ticker scrolls across the bottom of the television screen and the television viewer chooses which categories of headlines are of most interest, including breaking top news, local updates, business and finance, sports, entertainment and more.

Comcast and Intel demonstrate the capability of viewers to enjoy Internet services while watching cable TV by integrating the Widget Channel with the Comcast Interactive Program Guide using tru2way technology, a Java-based platform with open API specifications built into televisions, set-top boxes and other devices.

"AP is excited to be a part of Intel’s latest push to bring rich Internet applications to TV," said Jeffrey Litvack, general manager for mobile and emerging products for AP. "The AP News Widget makes it easy for television viewers to have uninterrupted access to breaking news while watching any show. Looking forward, we plan to develop the AP news widget into more of a newsreader where one can click on a headline to view a photo, video and a snippet of a news story and then e-mail it to yourself or a friend."

“Since announcing our vision last August at the 2008 Intel Developer Forum to bring Internet-based content to the TV through the power of the Intel Media Processor CE 3100 and a new TV applications framework called Widget Channel, the CE and entertainment industry have embraced this new opportunity,” said William O. Leszinske, Jr., general manager of Intel’s Digital Home Group. “AP is on the cutting-edge of the connected TV experience and is poised to accelerate a rich, relevant Internet on TV experience for consumers. We are pleased to show the AP TV Widget that demonstrates how our connected CE vision is quickly becoming a reality.”

AP’s entry into the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) space follows its recent success in the burgeoning mobile market with the Mobile News Network (www. apnews.com). The Mobile News Network is the first product resulting from the AP Digital Cooperative and covers the entire 100 top designated market areas and boasts a growing number of content contributors -- more than 1,000 news organizations signed up to provide local news stories.

About The AP

The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP.

On the Net: www.ap.org

Contact:

AP Global Product Development
Lynn Trono, Linden Alschuler & Kaplan
ltrono@lakpr.com
212.899.4743