Thomson Consumer Electronics Adopts Gemstar's TV Guide Plus+ System; Thomson Announces Plan to Incorporate TV Guide Plus+ into Thomson Products Beginning Spring '97

Business Wire, Jan 9, 1997

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 1997--Gemstar International Group Limited (Nasdaq: GMSTF), developer of the VCR Plus Instant Programming System, announced today that Thomson Consumer Electronics - Americas, manufacturer of the RCA, Proscan, and GE brands of televisions and VCRs, plans to incorporate Gemstar's TV Guide Plus system, a subscription-free on-screen electronic program guide, into a range of its TV product line in 1997 in the United States. In a press conference at WCES '97 last night, Jim Meyer, executive vice president of Thomson Consumer Electronics, said, "It is our intention to incorporate the TV Guide Plus feature into over 5 million color TVs by the end of 1999."

Thomson becomes the third major manufacturer to adopt the TV Guide Plus system into its product line. The TV Guide Plus system was introduced in the fourth quarter of 1996 in JVC TVs and Magnavox TVs and VCRs.

TV Guide Plus has several unique features. It is the only subscription-free electronic television guide built into TVs and VCRs. The video broadcast is visible at all times in a video window which is fully integrated into the text portion of the guide. The operation of the guide has been carefully designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, with the selection of features and programs accomplished by four color-coded buttons and the up-down channel key. The system also has the unique capability of enabling participating broadcasters to update changes in program information in real time. In addition, viewers can search for something to watch by theme, channel or time period.

TV Guide Plus also offers one-button recording through Gemstar's VCR Plus Instant Programming System, which is included with the TV Guide Plus system. This feature provides one-step, "point-and-click" recording of any television program listed in the guide. Viewers simply highlight the desired program and press the VCR Plus button. The PlusCode number for taping the program is automatically entered. The system is supported by major broadcasters including ABC, FOX, CBS and UPN in the U.S., and the CBC Network, CBC Newsworld, RDI and CTV in Canada, all of whom carry TV Guide Plus data in the vertical blanking portion of their video signals.

"Gemstar is very pleased with Thomson's decision to incorporate TV Guide Plus into its television product line in 1997," said Henry Yuen, chief executive officer of Gemstar. "Thomson's position as the U.S. television sales leader will help increase the availability of the user-friendly TV Guide Plus system to consumers."

Gemstar develops, markets and licenses proprietary technologies and systems aimed at making technology user-friendly for consumers. Gemstar's VCR Plus Instant Programming System is now a world standard for VCR programming. VCR Plus allows a user to record a television show simply by entering a number -- the PlusCode number -- printed in television program guides. The PlusCode numbers are published by more than 1500 newspapers and television program guides worldwide, with a combined circulation of over 300 million.

The VCR Plus system has been licensed to virtually every major television and VCR manufacturer and introduced in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Latin America, U.K., Europe, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Since its inception, there have been more than 50 million VCR Plus systems sold worldwide, and that number continues to increase as manufacturers incorporate the feature throughout their VCR and TV product lines. The Company also recently introduced Index Plus , an automatic videotape playback and cataloguing system, and TV Guide Plus , a subscription-free, on-screen electronic TV listings guide built into new televisions.

Note: This document contains forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. The company's actual results in the future may differ significantly from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.

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Lisa Ruben, 213/966-5732