Breaking Travel News

On Command Acquires Hotel Cable Network Company

On Command Corporation, a leading provider of in-room interactive
entertainment announced today the acquisition of the controlling interest
of Hotelevision, Inc. Hotelevision is the leading national television
company that provides advertising with targeted access to affluent
audiences in upscale hotel rooms. Under the terms of the agreement,
Hotelevision will continue to operate as a separate entity, but will
coordinate its activities with On Command.
“On Command is very excited to add Hotelevision’s programming to our
expanding family of hotel products and services for 2004,” said Chris
Sophinos, president and chief executive officer of On Command. “The
Hotelevision service allows us to provide hoteliers with an alternative to
the current financial model where they pay for the delivery of satellite
channels.”

Hotelevision is a national ad-supported media company that delivers ten
high-profile cable channels to select hotels. By “road-blocking”
commercial messages across its ad-supported network partners, Hotelevision
offers advertisers exclusive access to decision-making business executives
and affluent consumers. Audience delivery is guaranteed through metered
measurement provided by Nielsen Media Research. Hotelevision’s partner
networks include A&E, The Biography Channel, Court TV, CNBC, Fox News
Channel, National Geographic Channel, History Channel International,
MSNBC, The Weather Channel and STARZ!. The Hotelevision service is
delivered on a free-to-guest basis and is provided at no cost to hotels.
“On Command will allow Hotelevision to provide more value to advertisers
through greater distribution,” said Karl Spangenberg, president and
general manager of Hotelevision. “On Command, Hotelevision and our
respective hotel customers will benefit from greater coordination on
sales, installation and service.” 

On Command Corporation ( http://www.oncommand.com/ ) is a leading provider
of in-room entertainment technology to the lodging and cruise ship
industries. On Command is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media
Corporation . On Command entertainment services include: on-demand movies;
television Internet services using high-speed broadband connectivity;
television email; short form television features covering drama, comedy,
news and sports; video games; and music-on-demand services through Instant
Media Network, a majority-owned subsidiary of On Command Corporation and
the leading provider of digital on-demand music services to the hotel
industry. All On Command products are connected to guest rooms and managed
by leading edge video-on-demand navigational controls and a state-of-the
art guest user interface system. The guest menu system can be customized
by hotel properties to create a robust platform that services the needs of
On Command hotel partners and the traveling public. On Command and its
distribution network services more than 1,000,000 guest rooms, which touch
more than 300 million guests annually.

On Command’s direct served hotel properties are located in the United
States, Canada, Mexico and Spain. On Command distributors serve cruise
ships operating under the Royal Caribbean, Costa and Carnival flags. On
Command hotel properties include more than 100 of the most prestigious
hotel chains and operators in the lodging industry: Accor, Adam’s Mark
Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Hilton Hotels Corporation,
Hyatt, Loews, Marriott (Courtyard, Renaissance, Fairfield Inn and
Residence Inn), Radisson, Ramada, Six Continents Hotels
(Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn), Starwood Hotels &
Resorts (Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels and Four Points), and Wyndham Hotels &
Resorts.

Based in New York, Hotelevision, Inc., is a leader in the free-to-guest
hotel television industry. Hotelevision markets and sells national
advertising time to advertisers of premium products and services across
its ad-supported cable networks. Using its private satellite distribution
system, Hotelevision integrates commercials targeted at decision-making
business professionals and affluent consumers into the programming, and
delivers this modified feed to hotels nationwide.
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