(printer friendly version)

April 2, 2003 –-Los Angeles, CA— Federal Hill Communications, an established leader in content procurement and studio negotiations, has facilitated a non-exclusive hotel exhibition movie deal between United International Pictures (UIP) and NEOS Interactive. UIP will provide NEOS with the finest and latest movie content available, which will be showcased for the upscale hospitality sector on NEOS Interactive's cutting edge digital interactive system - NEOSTV. Among the titles UIP has offered NEOS Interactive under this agreement are action-thriller The Bourne Identity (Matt Damon, Franka Potente), horror-thriller Red Dragon (Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes), and animated Sprit: Stallion of Cimarron. Federal Hill was recently appointed by NEOS Interactive to oversee negotiations with the major studios to secure VOD rights to Hollywood movie content for NEOS Interactive’s VOD deployment for the upscale hospitality sector. Federal Hill will also be responsible for managing the daily programming and marketing needs for NEOS, determining programming selections specific to each of NEOS Interactive’s hotel properties and developing a strategic content solution that is consistent with future growth objectives.

“The hospitality industry is on the verge of change as digital services are becoming more prevalent. The current analogue systems in place at most hotels are antiquated, difficult to navigate. While many hotels remain reluctant to convert to digital services due to the initial capital expenditure, the benefits to be realized by systems like NEOSTV far outweigh the costs associated with developing new equipment to add to an already outdated delivery system. NEOSTV’s high resolution screens offer superior picture quality in addition to the VCR-like features of VOD such as the ability to play, pause, fast forward and rewind,” offered Bethany Gorfine, President and CEO of Federal Hill Communications. “We take pride in the relationships we develop, the clients we represent, and the high-quality programming that we negotiate on behalf of our clients. This deal has brought together a digitally advanced interactive system provider; a leading worldwide theatrical and non-theatrical distributor and experienced VOD content specialists. The combined expertise of all parties involved will provide an exceptional VOD offering well suited for NEOS Interactive’s high-profile luxury hotel clients,” said Gorfine.

“We are committed to providing our hospitality clients with exceptional media services that will exceed their guests’ in-room business and entertainment expectations. Our objective is to become the preferred partner to the hospitality industry and we will achieve this by staying abreast of travelers’ requirements and new technologies as they emerge,” said Tassos Kazinos, CEO, NEOS Interactive Ltd.
“Federal Hill has been instrumental in securing hotel exhibition deals with leading content suppliers for NEOS Interactive. This deal they negotiated with UIP on our behalf will enable us to offer an extensive digital on-demand movie selection for our hospitality clients,” Kazinos further commented.

“We are very pleased to include NEOS as one of our new clients and we look forward to offering during the course of our agreement some very exciting Hollywood product such as The Hulk, The Ring and the upcoming Johnny English,” UIP commented.

NEOS Interactive’s, NEOSTV, is a state-of-the-art digital interactive system which offers users access to an array of services all delivered to a single integrated device, easily accessed through a remote control and infrared keyboard. The system’s high-resolution screen provides exceptional picture quality for both normal television viewing and computer based services and has streamlined the operations once performed by several devices. This high-tech system’s entertainment services include digital television, video on demand, a substantial music library, radio listening, interactive games and shopping. Business Center services that are offered include business applications such as MS Office, high-speed Internet access, business information services, the ability to communicate via e-mail and fax, laptop connectivity and the potential to support future IP voice and conferencing services. NEOTV has a safe and secure medium in which to manage and deliver these services due to the highly advanced encryption system developed by NEOS Interactive.

About NEOS Interactive Ltd.
Neos Interactive Limited develops, installs and operates digital media networks in luxury hotels. The company focuses on the development of software to manage Internet distributed digital media on personal computers and the control of computers through infrared remote controls. Neos Interactive established itself as an exciting new company with software that is attracting worldwide attention. Neos has benefited from considerable development carried out in the area of converging digital media by Rutherford Appleton Research Laboratory (RAL) in Oxford and Trinity College Dublin (TCD), both of whom are shareholders in the company.

NeosTV, formerly known as IRIS, is the first software application taken to market by Neos Interactive and was developed specifically for the luxury hotel market. It is the most advanced multi-media platform for in-room entertainment, highly customisable with an intuitive user-friendly interface, delivering interactive, multi-media services through television screens. Services include VOD, MOD, World Radio, TV, Internet Access, E-mail and MS Office applications.

The technology is state-of-the-art utilising open standards, thus seamlessly integrating with third party software applications and hardware. The solution also includes extensive management and diagnostic tools to monitor and support the system. This unique and versatile interactive system has wide ranging applications such as healthcare, corporate, and education. For more information about Neos Interactive, please visit www.neos.tv

About United International Pictures
UIP is the international theatrical and non-theatrical distributor for Paramount and Universal it’s parent studios. UIP is able to offer content for the hotel hospitality market. For more information about UIP visit: www.uip.co.uk

About Federal Hill Communications
Federal Hill Communications is a leading provider of digital content for VOD platforms worldwide. Federal Hill provides expertise in the negotiation, licensing, and selection of theatrical content from Hollywood studios and non-theatrical entertainment from independent producers and content providers. Federal Hill also exclusively represents an extensive library of award-winning titles covering the arts, adventure, children’s, foreign/multilingual, discovery, documentaries, history, science, technology, wildlife, and much more. Federal Hill’s client base includes cable operators, technology companies, systems integrators, telephone companies and hotels worldwide. For more information about Federal Hill Communications, please visit www.federalhill.tv