BT Media and Broadcast Extends ABS-CBN's European Reach With Network Restructure

BT Media and Broadcast Extends ABS-CBN's European Reach With Network Restructure

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- ABS-CBN, the leading international Filipino broadcaster, has extended its relationship with BT Media and Broadcast (BTM&B) to encompass the management of its entire European network, including service support, operations, satellite and fiber capacity management.

Under the deal, BT M&B will become ABS-CBN's single outsourcing partner covered by one service level agreement, thus reducing overall costs for ABS-CBN and increasing the quality and consistency of the service it offers its subscribers.

"Prior to working with BT Media and Broadcast, we experienced an unacceptable level of service outages which affected the quality of our product and reduced the satisfaction of our subscribers. By utilizing BT Media and Broadcast's high reliability network, we no longer have to worry about down time in our distribution and we can focus on what we do best; developing content and programming," said ABS-CBN President and Chief Operating Officer Rafael Lopez.

BTM&B will provide a fiber-link from BT's LA Media Center to BT's International Media Center in London, picking up five DVB channels of video and two channels of radio to be sent via the Atlantic Bird 3 Satellite for distribution across Europe and the Middle East. BT also provides ABS-CBN with a confidence feed returned from Europe which allows ABS-CBN to see exactly what their subscribers are viewing.

Chris Braden, Head of Business Development and Sales, BT Media & Broadcast, the Americas states, "BT's global network of teleports and fiber capacity enables us to manage ABS-CBN's content more reliably and cost-effectively. ABS-CBN's network has been streamlined and elements which caused regular service degradation have been removed -- now BT provides an end-to-end solution and manages all the components of the service."

Note to editors:

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions serving customers in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. Its principal activities include networked IT services, local, national and international telecommunications services, and higher-value broadband and internet products and services.

BT consists principally of three lines of business:

* BT Retail, providing a comprehensive range of communications and
related services to more than 20m UK consumers and businesses.

* BT Wholesale, providing network services and solutions within the UK to
more than 600 fixed and mobile operators and service providers
including the provision of broadband and private circuits.

* BT Global Services, providing networked IT services to meet the needs
of multi-site organizations globally. BT Global Services operates in
more than 130 countries and also offers international carrier services.

In the year ended 31 March 2005, BT Group's turnover was 18,623 million pound Sterling with profit before goodwill amortization, exceptional items and taxation of 2,085 million pounds.

BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group.

For more information, visit http://www.bt.com/aboutbt

About BT Media and Broadcast

BT Media and Broadcast (BTM&B) is the digital media and broadcast services arm of BT, which is responsible for the provision of fully managed broadcast services and the development of the commercial opportunities presented by digital content. Its international customer base includes broadcasters and content and rights owners within the television, film and media industries, along with the corporate and government sectors.

BTM&B provides bespoke satellite and fiber-based solutions, using sophisticated digital content and data management technology, to transport and manage video, audio and data. Delivering live broadcasts from major international events, providing digital terrestrial TV (DTTV) networks and direct to home (DTH) satellite platforms and storing and securely distributing video content to broadband devices are just some of the areas in which BTM&B excels. An industry pioneer, BTM&B aims to deliver the highest quality of service, flexibility and efficiency through advanced technology and industry expertise.

BTM&B is part of BT Global Services.

For more information, please visit: http://www.bt.com/broadcastamericas

Source: BT Media and Broadcast

CONTACT: Cheryl Gale, +1-617-475-1571, Cheryl@marchpr.com, or Liz
Swenton, +1-617-475-1572, Liz@marchpr.com, both of March Communications for BT
Media and Broadcast

Web site: http://www.bt.com/aboutbt
http://www.bt.com/broadcastamericas

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