25 June 2007 UBC Media plc (UBC:L) today announces that it is to name its Instant Music Buying Service ‘Cliq’. The service will allow consumers to instantly buy the music they like as they hear it on the radio. The system works by broadcasting, in a dedicated data channel, a real-time information service with track details and a “buy” button, alongside the radio station’s audio stream. Cliq is broadcasting in trial form on the digital service of Heart 106.2 in London and UBC is preparing to launch commercially later this year. The service currently operates on the ‘Lobster’ digital radio mobile phone available from Virgin Mobile. UBC is today detailing a major expansion of the service, which will now be made available at launch to more radio listeners. Today, UBC has announced separately that it has reached agreement with Imagination Technologies (Imagination/IMG) to combine Imagination’s new DAB and Internet digital radio platform with ‘Cliq’. Imagination Technologies will bring in-home devices that support the Cliq service to market through its PURE Digital division. In the mobile environment, in addition to the Lobster, UBC is now developing an application that will display the Cliq service on any mobile phone with ‘Java’ capability. 85% of mobile phones in the UK are capable of running Java and this application will mean that the growing number of people who listen to FM radio on mobile phones will be able to call up a track listing for their favourite radio stations and buy songs as they are played. UBC has put in place the technical infrastructure as well as agreements with major record companies and radio groups to enable the service in the UK. However, the Company also believes that there are major licensing opportunities for its Cliq service outside the UK. RTE, the national Irish broadcaster has confirmed that it will operate a Cliq service as part of the digital radio trials starting in Eire this year. UBC expects to announce other European trials in the near future. Simon Cole, Chief Executive of UBC commented: “Having the ability to market the service on both an in-home and a mobile device from launch, with the leading digital radio hardware supplier on board, I believe is a very strong proposition. Having already secured the backing of all the major radio groups and record companies I believe we have reached a point of critical mass, and a situation where the astute players in the industry want to be involved in something which is going to change the way the consumer utilises the radio.” Ends Enquiries Simon Cole, Chief Executive, UBC Media Group plc: Tel: 020 7453 1600 Diane Barnes, Portland for UBC: Tel: 020 7404 5344 Notes to Editors About UBC Media Group UBC is quoted on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market. The Group is the market leader in the supply of audio content and broadcast data software to the radio industry in the UK. In addition to the entertainment, traffic and travel and national news services provided to commercial radio, the Group is the largest independent producer of radio programming for the BBC and the UK’s leading supplier of digital radio scrolling text and EPG software. The Group also has a partnership with Channel 4 Television in national speech station Oneword and is part of the MXR Regional Multiplex consortium. About Imagination Technologies Imagination Technologies develops and licenses innovative silicon and software intellectual property (IP) for system-on-chip (SoC) devices targeting multimedia and communication applications. The company offers an expanding range of complementary IP cores, licensed by many of the world's leading silicon device suppliers including Intel, Renesas, Samsung, Sharp and TI. UBC Media is the UK’s largest independent producer of radio content, serving the commercial sector as well as the BBC with radio programming and production services. It also has an Interactive arm which is the leading supplier of interactive technology to DAB Digital Radio broadcasters in the UK.
2007-06-25 10:56:18
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