Gemstar, Thomson Retool Partnership
By Karen Brown -- Multichannel News, 5/17/2002 2:00:00 PM
As expected, Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. has retooled and expanded its strategic partnership with French consumer-electronics giant Thomson Multimedia.
First hinted at in Gemstar's quarterly earnings call earlier this week, the partnership calls for Thomson to use Gemstar's 'GUIDE Plus+' interactive programming guide in its televisions, consumer-electronics devices, digital set-top boxes and satellite boxes in North America and Europe.
Thomson will get a share of the guide ad revenues under the deal. Gemstar, in turn, will make Thomson a preferred supplier for broadcast and response-network gear for video and data used in its interactive services.
The reforged partnership replaces an agreement struck in 1996, when the two companies started working on developing and rolling out IPG products for Thomson TV sets.
It also heads off pending arbitration proceedings between the two firms over the earlier agreement. In November, Thomson had filed a request with the American Arbitration Association, claiming that Gemstar had breached revenue-sharing and ad agreements related to the IPG.
'We have set the basis for a fresh new start in a promising and fruitful cooperation, now aligned with Thomson's New Media Services strategy and improving significantly the division's financial profile,' said Frank Dangeard, Thomson's senior executive vice president, in a prepared statement.
'Thomson's systems-integration capabilities, back-office network-management skills and access products can play a pivotal role for the deployment of Gemstar's interactive services,' he added.
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