SPTI Scores South Korean VOD Deal

HONG KONG, April 28: Sony
Pictures Television International (SPTI) has inked a VOD licensing deal with KT
Corporation (KT), South Korea’s largest telco provider, to offer current and upcoming
theatrical movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment on its IPTV platform Mega TV
on the same day as the local home video/DVD release.

The agreement will allow
Mega TV customers to watch the most recent titles from Sony Pictures on demand,
such as the recently released movies Vantage Point, The Water Horse and Across the Universe, as they become available on home video/DVD. The
deal also includes feature films such as Stephen Chow’s CJ7; Will Smith’s upcoming superhero action movie Hancock; and Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey’s drama 21, which will be offered to consumers after their
theatrical run. In addition to movies, the deal also covers SPTI’s new TV
series such as Damages,
starring Golden Globe-winner Glenn Close and Cashmere Mafia, starring Lucy Liu, after their television
broadcast.

“SPTI is honored to partner
with KT Corporation to bring our latest blockbusters to Mega TV’s subscribers,
and is focused
on providing innovative solutions and offerings to our broadcast and telco
partners to help them meet, and exceed, their customers’ needs,” said Ross Pollack, the senior VP of distribution in
Asia at SPTI.

Soojin Chung, the executive
director of licensing in South Korea at SPTI, added, “We are thrilled to expand
our relationship with KT and enable them to continue to build upon Mega TV’s
success with our hit TV shows in addition to our feature films.”

Chung
Man-ho, the head of media business at KT, concluded: “KT’s Mega TV is very much
focused on acquiring good quality content and provide them to our subscribers
in the fastest possible way. KT will continue to bring more content including
feature films in order to satisfy our customer’s needs.”

KT launched its Mega TV IPTV service nationally in July 2007, making it
available to its 6.52 million high-speed Internet users. By April 16,
Mega TV had 590,000 subscribers and expects to increase the number to 1.5 million in 2008.

—By Irene Lew